DATE=05/10/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=SPY SENTENCED (S).rtf

NUMBER=2-289653

BYLINE=JIM MALONE

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Former F-B-I agent-turned spy, Robert Hanssen, has been sentenced to life in prison, closing one of the most damaging espionage cases in U-S history. We get details from correspondent Jim Malone.

TEXT: Hanssen was sentenced to life in prison without the chance for parole during a brief hearing at a federal court in Northern Virginia, just outside Washington.

The 25-year F-B-I veteran pleaded guilty to spying for Moscow last July. As part of the plea agreement, Hanssen agreed to cooperate with investigators in order to avoid the death penalty.

During his court appearance, Hanssen apologized for his actions and said he was ashamed.

U-S intelligence officials say the Hanssen spy case was among the most damaging in American history. The information he provided to Moscow for money and diamonds over a 20-year period led to the execution of two U-S double agents and revealed how the United States was intercepting Soviet satellite transmissions. (Signed)

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