Former FBI agent Robert Hanssen, who was convicted of spying for Russia, dies in jail

WASHINGTON — A former FBI agent who took greater than $1.4 million in money and diamonds to commerce secrets and techniques with Russia and the previous Soviet Union in one of the crucial infamous spying circumstances in American historical past died in jail Monday.

Robert Hanssen, 79, was discovered unresponsive in his cell at a federal jail in Florence, Colorado, and later pronounced useless, jail officers mentioned.

Hanssen is believed to have died of pure causes, an individual aware of the matter informed The Associated Press. The particular person was not licensed to publicly talk about particulars of Hanssen’s loss of life and spoke to the AP on situation of anonymity.

He had been serving a sentence of life in jail with out parole after pleading responsible to fifteen counts of espionage and different expenses in 2001.

He had begun offering extremely labeled nationwide safety data to Russia and the previous Soviet Union in 1985, and obtained greater than $1.4 million price of money, financial institution funds and diamonds in change over the course of 16 years, in accordance with an FBI historical past of his case.

The FBI has been notified of Hanssen’s loss of life, in accordance with the Bureau of Prisons. He had been serving time in Colorado since July 2002.

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