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Utah Man Arrested for Attempted Espionage
SALT LAKE CITY – Ron Rockwell Hansen, 58, a resident of Syracuse, Utah, was arrested on Saturday afternoon on federal charges, including the attempted transmission of national defense information to the People’s Republic of China.
Hansen, a former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) officer, was taken into custody by FBI agents while he was on his way to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle, Washington, to board a connecting flight to China.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney John Huber for the District of Utah, and Special Agent in Charge Eric Barnhart of the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office announced the charges.
“Ron Rockwell Hansen is a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer who allegedly attempted to transmit national defense information to the People’s Republic of China’s intelligence service (PRCIS) and also allegedly received hundreds of thousands of dollars while illegally acting as an agent of China,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers.
“His alleged actions are a betrayal of our nation’s security and the American people and are an affront to his former intelligence community colleagues. Our intelligence professionals swear an oath to protect our country’s most closely held secrets and the National Security Division will continue to relentlessly pursue justice against those who violate this oath,” Demers added.
Hansen is charged in a 15-count complaint with attempting to gather or deliver national defense information to aid a foreign government. The complaint also charges Hansen with acting as an unregistered foreign agent for China, bulk cash smuggling, structuring monetary transactions, and smuggling goods from the United States.
According to court documents, Hansen received not less than $800,000 in funds originating from China between May 2013 and the date of the complaint.
Hansen will have an initial appearance Monday, at 5 p.m. EDT/3 p.m. MDT in U.S. District Court in Seattle.
Hansen, who speaks fluent Mandarin-Chinese and Russian, held a Top Secret clearance for many years and signed several non-disclosure agreements during his tenure at DIA and as a government contractor.
Key Facts
- State: Utah
- Category: Public Corruption|Violent Crime|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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