The FBI is offering a $200,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of a former U.S. Air Force intel specialist charged with defecting and sharing American secrets with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In February 2019, a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia indicted Monica Witt, a former U.S. service member and counterintelligence agent, on charges of espionage, including transmitting national defense information to the government of Iran.
Witt served in the U.S. military from 1997 to 2008 and later worked as a U.S. government contractor until 2010, according to the FBI. Her combined military and private-sector experience reportedly gave her access to classified information at the “SECRET” and “TOP SECRET” levels, including the identities of undercover personnel within the U.S. intelligence community.
In 2013, Witt defected to Iran and provided classified information to the government of Iran, according to the FBI. The Texas native is said to have defected after being invited to two all-expense-paid conferences in Iran that the Justice Department says “promoted anti-Western propaganda and criticized American moral standards,” according to the Associated Press.
Witt is accused of intentionally providing information that endangered U.S. personnel stationed abroad. Authorities also allege she researched on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran to help identify and target her former colleagues in the U.S. government.
“Witt’s defection to Iran has benefitted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has elements responsible for intelligence collection, unconventional warfare, and providing direct support to multiple terrorist organizations targeting U.S. citizens and interests,” the FBI said in a statement.
Despite the indictment and pending charges, Witt remains on the run, and the federal government is unable to locate her.
“Monica Witt allegedly betrayed her oath to the Constitution more than a decade ago by defecting to Iran and providing the Iranian regime National Defense Information and likely continues to support their nefarious activities,” Daniel Wierzbicki, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division, said.
“The FBI has not forgotten and believes that during this critical moment in Iran’s history, there is someone who knows something about her whereabouts. The FBI wants to hear from you so you can help us apprehend Witt and bring her to justice,” he added.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.