Who is Bonnie Hanssen? All About Robert Hanssen's Wife

Bonnie Hanssen (Robert Hanssen’s Wife):- Robert Hanssen, a former FBI agent who spied for Russia for more than two decades, was found dead in prison on Monday. He was 79 years old and had been serving a life sentence without parole at the Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. Hanssen’s espionage activities caused severe damage to U.S. national security and exposed dozens of American agents and sources to the enemy.

But who was the woman behind the man who betrayed his country? Who is Bonnie Hanssen, the wife of Robert Hanssen, and what role did she play in his life and his crimes?

Bonnie Hanssen: Birthday, Biography & Family

Bonnie Hanssen, whose maiden name was Bernadette Wauck, was born in 1946 in Chicago. She came from a large and devout Catholic family, with 13 siblings. She attended Northwestern University, where she studied dentistry. There, she met Robert Hanssen, who was also studying dentistry at the time. They married in 1968, and Robert converted from Lutheranism to Catholicism to please his wife.

Bonnie and Robert had six children together: four sons and two daughters. They raised them in a strict Catholic household, attending mass regularly and sending them to Catholic schools. Bonnie was a homemaker who devoted herself to her family and her faith. She was unaware of her husband’s double life as a spy for Moscow.

Robert Hanssen: A Spy with a Double Life

Robert Hanssen joined the FBI in 1976, after working briefly as a police officer and an accountant. He rose through the ranks and became an expert on counterintelligence and Soviet affairs. He had access to highly classified information and sensitive operations. He also had secret contact with the KGB, the Soviet intelligence agency, whom he started supplying with U.S. secrets in 1979.

Hanssen received more than $1.4 million in cash and diamonds from the Russians over the years, as well as a Swiss bank account for his retirement. He also received praise and admiration from his handlers, who called him “Ramon” and “B”. He betrayed the identities of several U.S. agents working undercover in Russia, some of whom were executed or imprisoned. He also revealed technical secrets, such as U.S. surveillance methods and encryption codes.

Hanssen’s motives for spying were complex and unclear. He claimed he did it for the thrill and the challenge, not for the money or ideology. He also said he wanted to improve U.S.-Russia relations by sharing information that could prevent a nuclear war. He expressed remorse for some of his actions, but also justified them as necessary or inevitable.

Hanssen’s other secret life involved a stripper named Priscilla Sue Galey, whom he met at a club in Washington D.C. in 1990. He lavished her with expensive gifts, such as jewelry, a car, and a trip to Hong Kong. He also gave her a laptop computer with a secret code that he challenged her to break. He never asked for sex from her, but he tried to convert her to Catholicism and to help her quit drugs.

Hanssen was finally arrested in 2001, after being exposed by a Russian defector who gave the FBI a videotape of him meeting with his KGB contact. He pleaded guilty to 15 counts of espionage and conspiracy and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

Bonnie Hanssen: A Victim of Betrayal

Bonnie Hanssen was shocked and devastated by her husband’s arrest and confession. She cooperated with the authorities and testified against him in exchange for immunity from prosecution and protection for her children. She also agreed to forfeit all the assets that her husband had obtained from his spying activities.

Bonnie Hanssen moved to an undisclosed location with her children after the trial. She has not spoken publicly about her husband or his crimes since then. She is believed to have remained faithful to her Catholic faith and loyal to her husband despite his betrayal.

Bonnie Hanssen is one of the most tragic figures in the history of American espionage. She was married to a man who deceived her for more than 20 years, risking her life and their children’s lives for his own selfish reasons. She lost everything she had because of his actions: her home, her reputation, her security, and her trust.

Robert Hanssen’s Death

Robert Hanssen, a former FBI agent who betrayed his country and endangered national security by spying for Moscow for more than two decades, died on June 5, 2023, at the age of 79. He was found unresponsive in his cell at the maximum-security federal prison in Florence, Colorado, where he was serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The cause of death is believed to be natural causes.

Photo Source:- CNN

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