NewsMax.com Wires
Saturday, July 7, 2001

Although Hanssen is expected to receive life in prison, U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton might not sentence Hanssen until early next year.

Prosecutors want assurance that Hanssen is cooperating with U.S. investigators before the sentence is handed down.

Almost immediately after the plea, the FBI and other U.S. intelligence agencies began an effort to determine the extent of the damage Hanssen caused.

Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson, who directly oversees the FBI, said later that under the plea agreement, "Hanssen will spend the rest of his life in federal prison, with no possibility of parole."

Thompson said the charges against Hanssen "carried the potential for the death penalty," but U.S. officials decided to trade that potential for Hanssen's complete cooperation.

"Given the gravity of Hanssen's betrayal, and the strength of the government's case, the decision to forgo the death penalty in this case was a difficult one," Thompson said in a statement.

"In reaching this decision, we determined that the interests of the United States would be best served by pursuing a course that would enable our government to fully assess the magnitude and scope of Hanssen's espionage activities - an objective we could not achieve if we sought and obtained the death penalty against him."

The plea bargain was approved by the FBI, the CIA and U.S. prosecutors.

Thompson, the Justice Department's No. 2 official, said the plea bargain requires Hanssen "to submit to extensive debriefings by the U.S. intelligence community."

In addition to his complete cooperation, Hanssen has agreed to forfeit up to $1.4 million in assets either paid directly to him or deposited abroad for him by the Soviet Union and its successor, the Russian Federation.

Although Hanssen forfeits his government pension, his wife will receive what amounts to a survivor's annuity "contingent on her continued full cooperation in this matter," the Justice Department said.

Hanssen's wife, Bonnie, has reportedly told investigators he first revealed his spying to her in 1979, but claimed it was an effort to deceive the Russians. A Catholic priest reportedly convinced him to give his first payment from the Russians to charity.

Some of the documents allegedly transmitted by Hanssen to the Russians "were those which directly concerned satellites, early warning systems, means of defense or retaliation against large-scale attack, communications intelligence and major elements of defense strategy," according to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office in May.

Copyright 2001 by United Press International.

All rights reserved.

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