Robert Patrick Hoffman
A retired sailor received 30 years in prison Monday for
trying to pass classified information to Russian spies, but not before giving
the court a piece of his mind.
Robert Patrick Hoffman II struck a defiant tone, claiming to
be the victim of a large-scale government conspiracy and announcing plans to
appeal his conviction for attempted espionage. He complained that the FBI and
other government agents violated his constitutional rights, going so far as to
delete emails that would have proven his innocence.
He said the government will have to kill him to prevent the
truth about his actions from coming out.
"I will not beg for mercy from this court and certainly
not the FBI," said Hoffman, wearing the black-and-gray-striped uniform of
a Norfolk City Jail inmate. "I will not apologize for being good at my
job."
Acting United States Attorney Dana Boente praised the
sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar.
"Hoffman attempted to spy on behalf of the Russian
Federation and betrayed the trust this country placed in him. He was willing to
place American lives at risk for personal gain," Boente said in a prepared
statement. He added that the sentence "should serve as a clear warning to
others who would willingly compromise our nation's most sensitive classified
information."
It took a jury about 90 minutes in August to convict the
40-year-old Virginia Beach resident.
According to testimony, Hoffman, a former petty officer
first class and submariner, gave "Top Secret" information to
undercover FBI agents posing as Russian intelligence officers.
The FBI opened its investigation into Hoffman in spring 2012
after learning he'd spent three weeks in Belarus the year before. Agents sent
Hoffman a letter purporting to be from Moscow. It contained a Soviet medal -
the Order of the Red Banner - and sought Hoffman's "technical
expertise."
Hoffman, who had spent most of his 20-year career working as
a cryptologic technician, quickly agreed. He traded numerous emails with an FBI
agent he thought was a Russian spy named Vladimir and made three trips to First
Landing State Park in Virginia Beach to drop off information.
Hoffman left his handler an encrypted flash drive during his
last visit. It offered advice on how the Russians could track American
submarines and avoid detection by U.S. warships, according to testimony.
Defense attorneys argued at trial that Hoffman engaged the
Russians because he wanted to help the United States catch them. They noted
that he approached the FBI after the third drop and provided agents with copies
of all of his correspondence with Vladimir as well as a piece of tape and a
trash bag his handler had touched.
Hoffman described himself in court as a U.S. "spy and a
spy hunter."
"It was a kindness of mine to offer to help the
FBI," he said.
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