Source: Hanssen told wife he was spy in 1979

Hanssen pleaded not guilty to 21 counts of spying on May 31

By Kelli Arena
CNN Justice Department Correspondent

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Accused spy Robert Hanssen confessed to his wife that he was spying six years before the government argues he started, a source close to the family told CNN on Friday.

Hanssen's wife Bonnie disclosed the 1979 confession when she was debriefed after his arrest, according to this source, who is in touch with the family.

FBI officials would not comment on the report.

According to the source, Hanssen stopped spying for six years, then resumed in 1985 without his wife's knowledge. But, in a report first aired on CBS, psychiatrist Alan Salerian said Hanssen confessed his subsequent spying activities to a Roman Catholic priest. Salerian was hired by Hanssen's lawyers to perform an evaluation on Hanssen.

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One of those lawyers, Plato Cacheris, refused to confirm or deny to CNN the substance of the report. However, Cacheris told CNN that Salerian has been fired.

Cacheris added that Salerian was instructed in writing that he was not privileged to discuss any confidentialities he may have heard from Hanssen or his family, and told CNN that legal action against Salerian is a possibility.

A federal indictment accuses Hanssen of taking $1.4 million in cash and diamonds as payment for passing U.S. secrets to Moscow. It states Hanssen compromised national security secrets, including the identities of U.S. spies, highly classified eavesdropping technology and nuclear war plans.

Prosecutors allege that information Hanssen gave to his handlers led to the deaths of at least two double agents.

Hanssen has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Law enforcement sources have contended that Bonnie Hanssen did not know about her husband's spying activities, and no charges have been filed against her.

A source close to negotiations between the Justice Department and Hanssen's legal team tells CNN that federal prosecutors are considering a deal that would spare Hanssen from the death penalty if he fully cooperates.

However, the official points out the negotiations remain "very fragile and informal" and far from a done deal.

In recent weeks, sources told CNN, the federal tug of war over whether to go ahead with plans to seek the death penalty have gone as high as CIA Director George Tenet, who favors keeping Hanssen alive, and to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who favors seeking the death penalty.

It is not known how much damage Hanssen inflicted on U.S. security. An FBI damage assessment could take a year to complete, FBI officials have said.