• Home
  • About
    • Authors
  • Articles
    • Archives
    • Chaplain
    • Crime & Controversy
    • Community
    • Cop Humor
    • Editorial
    • Op-ed
    • Gear & Technology
    • Investigations
    • Laws & Legal
    • Leadership
    • News
    • Officer Down
    • On Duty
    • Tactics
  • Network
    • Illinois Network
    • Minneapolis Network
    • Tulsa Network
    • Wauwatosa Network
    • Learn more
  • Training
  • Officer Privacy
  • Jobs
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Law Officer
Law Officer
No Result
View All Result

Ex-FBI agent serving life sentence after spying for Russia found dead in prison cell

Robert Hanssen

Robert Hanssen was found dead in his prison cell on Monday. (FBI)

June 6, 2023
Law OfficerbyLaw Officer
Share and speak up for justice, law & order...

FLORENCE, Colo. — Robert Hanssen, an ex-FBI agent who received more than $1.4 million in cash and diamonds to hand over secrets to Russia in one of the most notorious spying cases in American history, was found dead in prison on Monday.

Robert Hanssen, 79, was being held at a federal prison in Florence, Colorado. He was discovered unresponsive in his cell and later pronounced dead, prison officials said. He had been serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole since 2002, after pleading guilty to 15 counts of espionage and other charges, KTLA reported.

A person close to the investigation yet not authorized to publicly release details told The Associated Press that Hanssen is believed to have died of natural causes.

During his time working as a spy, Hanssen divulged a considerable amount of information regarding American intelligence-gathering, including substantial details that specified how U.S. officials tapped into Russian spy operations, since at least 1985, according to the news outlet.

Hanssen operated under the alias “Ramon Garcia.” In doing so, he passed along about 6,000 documents and 26 computer disks to his handlers, authorities said.

His actions were believed to have contributed to the deaths of at least three Soviet officers who were working for U.S. intelligence sources and subsequently executed once they were exposed.

Hanssen received more than $1.4 million in cash, bank funds, diamonds and Rolex watches in exchange for classified information related to national security. He would later say he was motivated by money rather than ideology.

The FBI agent’s compromising actions went undetected for years. After he became the focus of an investigation, the Russian mole was caught taping a garbage bag full of secrets to the underside of a footbridge in a park in a “dead drop” for Russian handlers.

After approximately 20 years of spying for Russia, the situation was described by the Department of Justice as “possibly the worst intelligence disaster in US history,” reported The Sun.

Follow-up investigations revealed several red flags that were missed, which allowed Hanssen to continue operating. His story was made into a 2007 movie titled “Breach.” The film starred Chris Cooper as Hanssen and Ryan Phillippe as a young FBI operative who helped catch him.


Share and speak up for justice, law & order...
Tags: FBIRobert HanssenRussian spy
Law Officer

Law Officer

Law Officer is the only major law enforcement publication and website owned and operated by law enforcement—for law enforcement and supporters of justice, law, and order. This unique facet makes Law Officer much more than just a publishing company, but a true advocate for the law enforcement profession.

Related Posts

FBI allegedly lost hundreds of thousands in rare coins during warrant service

September 24, 2023
Craig Robertson

Armed Utah man shot and killed during FBI raid linked to assassination threats against president, other top Dems

August 10, 2023
Negasi Zuberi

Oregon man poses as police, kidnaps Seattle woman, sexually abuses her, locks her in homemade cell, FBI says

August 3, 2023
Transit Bureau Station

Partners Keeping Law Enforcement Informed

June 5, 2023
Nicholas Veerkamp

Registered sex offender receives 35-year prison sentence for sexually exploiting children

May 26, 2023
Steve Friend

Whistleblower: FBI manipulated J6 cases to make domestic terrorism appear widespread

May 19, 2023
Load More

Latest Articles

Bronx gunman

Lives Are at Risk: When Police Officers Hesitate

September 29, 2023
Antifa

Georgia Law Enforcement Wrote the Blueprint on Defeating Antifa

September 29, 2023

Tires, Eyes, Seat, and Mirrors

September 29, 2023
Source: YouTube

Brown University celebrates a cop killer

September 29, 2023
Chief James Craig

Former Detroit Police Chief reportedly running for senate

September 29, 2023

Police recover $3 million worth of Bitcoin during investigation

September 29, 2023
Load More

Weekly E-Newsletter

Subscribe—and get the latest news and editorials direct from Law Officer each week!

[newsletter_form type="minimal"]

JOIN THE FIGHT

BE COURAGEOUS

FIND MORE…

Law Officer

© 2021 LawOfficer.com

LawOfficer.com

  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact

Speak up for justice, law & order

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • Authors
  • Articles
    • Archives
    • Chaplain
    • Crime & Controversy
    • Community
    • Cop Humor
    • Editorial
    • Op-ed
    • Gear & Technology
    • Investigations
    • Laws & Legal
    • Leadership
    • News
    • Officer Down
    • On Duty
    • Tactics
  • Network
    • Illinois Network
    • Minneapolis Network
    • Tulsa Network
    • Wauwatosa Network
    • Learn more
  • Training
  • Officer Privacy
  • Jobs
  • Contact

© 2021 LawOfficer.com