Authorities say Monica Witt defected to Iran in 2013 and later helped Iranian intelligence target former U.S. colleagues.
WASHINGTON โ The FBI is offering a $200,000 rewardย for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of former U.S. counterintelligence agent Monica Witt, who was charged in 2019 with espionage related to allegedly providing classified information to Iran.
The FBI Washington Field Office announced the reward Thursday, saying Witt remains at large more than a decade after authorities say she defected to Iran in 2013.
Witt, a former U.S. Air Force intelligence specialist and special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, served in the military from 1997 to 2008 before later working as a government contractor. According to the FBI, her work gave her access to classified information, including the identities of undercover U.S. intelligence personnel.
Federal prosecutors alleged in a 2019 indictmentย that Witt shared sensitive national defense information with the Iranian government and helped Iranian intelligence services target her former U.S. colleagues.
Authorities said Witt attended an anti-American conference in Iran in 2012 before later returning to the country, where she allegedly received housing and computer equipment from Iranian officials.
The FBI said Wittโs alleged actions benefited Iranโs Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, which the U.S. government has accused of supporting terrorist organizations and conducting intelligence operations targeting Americans.
โMonica 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,โ Daniel Wierzbicki, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Officeโs Counterintelligence and Cyber Division, said in a statement. โThe FBI has not forgotten and believes that during this critical moment in Iranโs history, there is someone who knows something about her whereabouts,โ he added.
The same 2019 indictment also charged four Iranian nationals with conspiracy and aggravated identity theft for allegedly helping Witt gather information about former U.S. intelligence personnel.
Anyone with information about Wittโs whereabouts is urged to contact the FBI through its tip line or local offices.
