The FBI is offering a $200,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of a former U.S. Air Force intelligence specialist accused of spying for Iran and exposing classified American intelligence information.
Federal authorities announced this week that they are continuing their search for Monica Elfriede Witt, a former Air Force counterintelligence officer and special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations who was indicted in 2019 on espionage-related charges tied to the Iranian government.
According to investigators, Witt served in the Air Force from 1997 through 2008 before later working as a U.S. government contractor until 2010. Officials said her military and contractor positions granted her access to highly sensitive national security information involving foreign intelligence and counterintelligence operations, including the identities of undercover U.S. intelligence personnel.
The FBI alleges Witt defected to Iran in 2013 and began assisting the Iranian government after attending conferences in the country that promoted anti-American and anti-Western messaging. Prosecutors said Iranian officials recruited Witt during that period and eventually convinced her to provide sensitive national defense information to Tehran.
Federal investigators claim Witt knowingly transmitted classified information that endangered U.S. personnel, intelligence programs, and overseas operations. Authorities also allege she conducted research for the Iranian regime to help identify and target her former colleagues working within the American intelligence community.
According to the indictment, Witt’s actions allegedly benefited Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, commonly known as the IRGC. The FBI said the organization conducts intelligence collection, unconventional warfare operations, and provides support to multiple terrorist groups targeting U.S. citizens and American interests around the world.
The FBI believes Witt is currently living in Iran and may still be actively supporting Iranian intelligence operations. Authorities said she speaks fluent Farsi and may be using aliases including Fatemah Zahra and Narges Witt.
Daniel Wierzbicki, the special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division, said investigators have not forgotten the case despite more than a decade passing since Witt allegedly defected. He stated that the FBI believes someone may still have information about her location or activities.
The FBI said the reward offer comes during what officials described as a “critical moment” involving tensions with Iran. Although authorities did not provide extensive details about the timing of the renewed push, investigators emphasized that locating Witt remains an active priority.
Officials are encouraging anyone with information regarding Witt’s whereabouts to contact the FBI through local field offices, U.S. embassies, consulates, or the agency’s online tip portal.
Source: AZFamily
