AU ALUM'S ROLE IN CAPTURING SPY INSPIRES MOTION PICTURE "BREACH"

A major motion picture set for nationwide release this Friday tells the story of an Auburn graduate who played the central role in capturing one of the most notorious spies ever on American soil.

The motion picture “Breach” stars Ryan Phillippe as FBI investigator Eric O’Neill, a 1995 AU graduate who was instrumental in the 2001 capture of Robert Hanssen, a FBI investigator who had been selling national security secrets to the Soviets and, later, the Russians for two decades.

O’Neill, a political science and psychology major at Auburn joined the FBI’s special surveillance group at age 22. By age 26, he was working on a secret, internal investigation involving one of the agency’s own. In an attempt to nab the Russian mole, FBI superiors assigned the O'Neil as Hansen’s assistant.

The movie describes the intrigue and dangers O’Neill faced during the three months of working with Hanssen, who is portrayed in the film by Academy Award-winner Chris Cooper. A major break came when O’Neill secretly took Hanssen’s handheld organizer, had it copied and returned it.

Faced with overwhelming evidence against him, Hanssen pleaded guilty to 15 counts of espionage and conspiracy charges.

O’Neill, a resident and native of suburban Washington, visited Auburn last weekend to attend an advance screening for members of AU’s student alumni association.

“The whole time I was with him, it was constant tests, mind games, messing with me, invading my personal space, and doing everything to keep me off balance and see if I would slip up. It was grueling,” O’Neill said in an interview with Auburn Magazine.

“We arranged for Eric to appear as part of a membership drive for the student alumni association,” said Betsy Robertson, Auburn Magazine editor. “The red carpet was literally rolled out, and we had a drawing in which the winner rode to the screening in a limousine with Eric.”

Soon after the arrest of Hanssen, O’Neill left the FBI to attend George Washington University law school, earning his degree in 2003. He is now an attorney with the international firm of DLA Piper.

Newsmakers offers imagery and multimedia on AU's private screening event. For more information, go to http://www.ocm.auburn.edu/newsmakers/.