16/05/01
Accused
Spy Hanssen Could Face Death Penalty
For
Robert Hanssen, a Dance With the Death PenaltyThe former FBI agent
isn't all that popular to begin with, but new espionage charges up
the ante considerably. TIME correspondent Elaine Shannon reports
from Washington BY JESSICA REAVES AND ELAINE SHANNON No matter how
bad your day was, chances are it was better than Robert Hanssen's.
The former FBI counterintelligence officer was indicted in
Washington, D.C. Wednesday; government prosecutors pummeled him
with a hailstorm of espionage charges, including several new,
especially serious accusations concerning nuclear-defense secrets.
If convicted, Hanssen could face the death penalty. Plato Cacheris,
Hanssen's defense attorney and a prominent fixture in the Beltway
legal scene, has promised to fight a death sentence, saying he
does not feel capital punishment is "justified" in this
case. The U.S. government, spearheaded in this case by the Justice
Department, may beg to differ. Hanssen reportedly spied for the
Soviet Union for 15 years, providing Moscow with top secret
information - and receiving an estimated $1.4 million in return.
TIME Washington correspondent Elaine Shannon has been watching
developments in the Hanssen case. She spoke with TIME.com
Wednesday about the latest charges. TIME.com: What were the new
charges in Wednesday's indictment against Hanssen? Elaine Shannon:
In this latest complaint, we see language having to do not only
with Hanssen's involvement in counterintelligence and his
interaction with moles, but with his involvement in telling the
Soviets about U.S. defense systems and their abilities to
anticipate nuclear attacks. We were tapping their military
communications, and Hanssen told them. These new charges are much
weightier than what the prosecution was talking about before;
these are secrets relating to, as the indictment reads, "satellites,
early warning systems, means of defense or retaliation against
large scale attack, communications intelligence and defense
strategy." Why are those charges so important to the
prosecution's case? To the average American, the new charges will
sound a lot more chilling than hearing about Hanssen's dealings
with various moles and informants. If this case goes to trial, the
prosecution will argue that Hanssen compromised the U.S.'s ability
to prepare for nuclear attack - and they know that won't sit well
with a jury. Plato Cacheris has vowed to keep his client from
being executed. Has espionage always been a capital crime,
punishable by death? Not always; a relatively new statute makes
espionage a capital crime if the actual act results in someone's
death. And the government charges against Hanssen mentions two KGB
agents who had turned and were working for the U.S. - Hanssen
apparently revealed their identities, and they were executed.
What's going to happen to Hanssen's family? His wife hasn't been
implicated in this, has she? No, she hasn't been. It's unclear
what will happen to Mrs. Hanssen and their kids; I'm sure they
have a lawyer trying to figure all of this out. It's possible that
the IRS could come after her for tax fraud, the government could
take away their house and his pension, and she could be left
destitute. On the other hand, the government could take a more
lenient position, since she didn't seem to be involved in the
espionage.
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