The FBI has announced a $200,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of former U.S. counterintelligence agent Monica Witt, who is charged with espionage for Iran.
The move underscores renewed urgency in a long-running national security case involving the alleged transfer of classified intelligence to a foreign adversary. U.S. officials say Witt remains at large and are urging the public to provide tips that could lead to her capture and prosecution.
Witt, a former U.S. Air Force intelligence specialist, allegedly defected to Iran in 2013 and provided sensitive national defense information, according to a 2019 federal indictment.
“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,” said Daniel Wierzbicki, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division.
“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,” Wierzbicki said. “The FBI wants to hear from you so you can help us apprehend Witt and bring her to justice.”
In a posting online, the FBI listed Witt as a native of El Paso, Texas, weighing 120 pounds and standing 5 feet 6 inches tall. She has no other alias, is known to speak Farsi, and is residing in Iran at this time.
Who Is Monica Witt?
Witt is a former U.S. Air Force intelligence specialist and special agent for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. She served in the military from 1997 to 2008, then worked as a U.S. government contractor until 2010.
Her work provided her with access to secret and top-secret information related to foreign intelligence and counterintelligence, including the true names of U.S. intelligence personnel in undercover roles, according to the FBI.
Witt defected to Iran in 2013, subsequently providing information to Tehran and potentially endangering sensitive and classified U.S. information, programs, and personnel.
The FBI specifically raised concerns that Witt’s information could empower the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has “elements responsible for intelligence collection, unconventional warfare, and providing direct support to multiple terrorist organizations targeting U.S. citizens and interests.”
US Grapples With Espionage Issues
Witt is not the only American who has raised security concerns for the U.S. government in recent years:
- Eileen Wang, a California mayor who agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government
- Jinchao Wei, a U.S. Navy sailor who was convicted on espionage-related charges after transmitting classified information to a Chinese intelligence officer
- Abouzar Rahmati, a naturalized U.S. citizen and contractor with the Federal Aviation Authority, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to act and acting as an agent of the Iranian government in the U.S. without prior notification to the Attorney General
- Ahmadreza Mohammadi-Doostdar, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen who pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of Iran
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