WASHINGTON — The FBI has announced a $200,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Monica Witt, a former U.S. Air Force counterintelligence specialist accused of defecting to Iran and providing classified American intelligence to the Iranian government.
The renewed effort to locate Witt comes years after she was indicted on espionage-related charges in 2019. Federal investigators allege that Witt, now 47, transmitted sensitive national defense information to Tehran after defecting in 2013. Authorities believe she may still be assisting Iranian intelligence operations.
According to the FBI, Witt served in the Air Force between 1997 and 2008, where she worked on classified counterintelligence missions and received training in the Farsi language. After leaving active duty, she continued working as a defense contractor with access to sensitive government information.
Federal prosecutors allege that Iranian officials targeted and recruited Witt during a series of conferences and events connected to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). After relocating to Iran, she allegedly helped Iranian intelligence officials identify and target former U.S. intelligence colleagues and disclose details of a highly classified American intelligence program.
“The FBI has not forgotten,” Daniel Wierzbicki, head of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division, said in a statement announcing the reward increase. Officials said investigators believe someone may have information about Witt’s whereabouts or activities.
Witt remains on the FBI’s wanted list and is believed to be living in Iran under aliases including “Fatemah Zahra” and “Narges Witt.” Authorities are urging anyone with information to contact the FBI, a local U.S. embassy, or submit a tip through federal channels.
The case remains one of the most high-profile modern espionage investigations involving a former U.S. military intelligence specialist. Officials say Witt’s alleged actions endangered American personnel and compromised sensitive national security operations.
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