FBI Offers $200,000 Reward for Former U.S. Air Force Specialist Monica Witt
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced a $200,000 reward for information that could lead to the capture and prosecution of a former U.S. Air Force intelligence specialist. Monica Witt was indicted in 2019 on charges of committing espionage on behalf of the Iranian government.
In a recent public appeal, the FBI confirmed it is still actively searching for the 47-year-old, Monica Elfriede Witt, who is believed to have defected to Iran in 2013. The agency firmly stated that she «likely continues to support their nefarious activities».
Daniel Wierzbicki, the special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division, emphasised the ongoing threat she poses.
Wierzbicki appealed directly to anyone with potential information, adding:
A history of espionage and defection
Monica Witt served as an active-duty counterintelligence officer for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations between 1997 and 2008. During her military career she received extensive training in the Farsi language and completed highly classified assignments that took her to the Middle East. Following her military service she transitioned to working as a government contractor until 2010.
Her shift from a trusted intelligence asset to an alleged defector reportedly occurred after she attended two all-expenses-paid conferences in Iran. The U.S. Justice Department previously noted that these events heavily promoted anti-Western propaganda and condemned American moral standards. Despite receiving prior warnings from the FBI regarding her activities, Witt ultimately moved to the country.
Endangering national security
In February 2019, a federal grand jury indicted Monica Witt on severe charges of espionage. Officials alleged that after defecting she was targeted and recruited by the Iranian regime. She subsequently revealed the existence of a highly classified intelligence collection programme and exposed the true identity of an undercover U.S. intelligence officer.
The extensive indictment detailed several serious allegations:
- Between January 2012 and May 2015 Witt conspired with Iranian operatives to transmit sensitive documents relating to U.S. national defence.
- Her actions were allegedly carried out with the direct intent to injure the United States and provide a strategic advantage to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
- She reportedly conducted research on behalf of the Iranian regime to help them specifically target her former colleagues within the U.S. government.
In exchange for her cooperation, Iranian officials allegedly provided Witt with goods, services, housing and computer equipment to facilitate her ongoing work. Furthermore, the same indictment charged four Iranian nationals with conspiracy, attempting to commit computer intrusion and aggravated identity theft in connection with the cyber targeting of her former colleagues.
Monica Witt remains at large as a fugitive and it is currently unclear if she has secured any legal representation in the U.S.
