Former active-duty intelligence specialist Monica Witt allegedly defected to Iran in 2013 and is accused of providing classified U.S. national defense information to the Iranian government.
The FBI announced Thursday that it is offering a $200,000 reward for information leading to the capture and prosecution of Monica Witt, a former U.S. Air Force intelligence specialist accused of spying for Iran.
Witt was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in February 2019 on multiple espionage-related charges, including allegedly providing classified national defense information to the Iranian government.
According to the FBI Washington Field Office, Witt served as an active-duty Air Force intelligence specialist and later worked as a special agent for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations between 1997 and 2008. She also worked as a U.S. government contractor until 2010.
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Federal investigators said her military and intelligence background gave her access to highly sensitive classified information, including secret and top-secret material tied to foreign intelligence operations and the identities of undercover American intelligence personnel.
Authorities allege that Witt defected to Iran in 2013 and later provided sensitive information to the Iranian government, placing classified U.S. defense programs and intelligence operations at risk.
Investigators further claim Witt knowingly shared information that endangered American personnel and their families stationed overseas. She is also accused of helping Iranian officials research and target her former colleagues within the U.S. intelligence community.
The FBI stated that Witt’s alleged activities benefited Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also known as the IRGC, which has been linked to intelligence gathering, unconventional warfare operations and support for terrorist organizations targeting American interests.
Although Witt was formally indicted years ago, authorities say she remains at large and is believed to still be living in Iran. Officials noted she speaks Farsi and may be using aliases including Fatemah Zahra or Narges Witt.
The FBI said it continues actively working to locate and apprehend her.
“Monica Witt allegedly betrayed her oath to the Constitution by defecting to Iran and providing national defense information to the Iranian regime,” said Daniel Wierzbicki, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division.
“The FBI has not forgotten this case and believes there may be individuals who know information about her current whereabouts,” he added.
Federal authorities are encouraging anyone with information regarding Witt to contact the FBI through official tip lines, local FBI offices or nearby U.S. embassies and consulates.
