Federal authorities have ramped up their search for a former U.S. Air Force intelligence specialist, Monica Elfriede Witt, by offering a $200,000 reward for her capture. Witt, who served as a counterintelligence agent with high-level security clearances, stands accused of defecting to Iran and handing over classified national defense secrets that jeopardized the lives of her former colleagues.
A grand jury in the District of Columbia indicted Witt on February 8, 2019, on charges including conspiracy to deliver national defense information to a foreign government.
According to the FBI, the El Paso native served in the military from 1997 to 2008 and worked as a government contractor until 2010. During that time, she had access to “SECRET” and “TOP SECRET” files, including the actual names of undercover intelligence officers working for the United States.
Investigators say Witt’s betrayal began in earnest in 2013 when she fled to Iran. The indictment alleges she used her specialized knowledge to help the Iranian government target U.S. intelligence personnel and their families. Her actions are said to have directly benefited the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an organization the U.S. identifies as a supporter of international terrorism.
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Along with Witt, the indictment charges four Iranian nationals who allegedly conducted a cyber campaign against U.S. intelligence assets using the information she provided. While the four Iranians were part of the technical operation, Witt is the primary focus of the newly announced reward.
The FBI describes Witt as a 5’6″ woman with brown hair and eyes, weighing approximately 120 pounds. She is known to go by the aliases Fatemah Zahra and Narges Witt and is fluent in Farsi. Officials believe she is currently residing in Iran, where she likely continues to assist the regime.
“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,” said Daniel Wierzbicki, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division. Wierzbicki noted that the FBI is hopeful that someone, somewhere, has information that could lead to her arrest. “The FBI has not forgotten,” he added.
The $200,000 reward is available to anyone who provides information leading to Witt’s apprehension and prosecution. The FBI has urged the public to contact their local office, the nearest American Embassy, or use the official online tip portal.
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