FBI offers $200K reward for former agent Monica Witt accused of spying for Iran

The FBI has reportedly announced a $200,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Monica Witt, a former US counterintelligence agent charged with spying for Iran. 

This move underlines reinvigorated focus on a long-standing threat 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.

A former U.S. Air Force intelligence specialist defected to Iran in 2013 and provided national defense information, consistent with the 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 listed Witt as a native of E1 Paso, Texas, weighing 120 pounds and standing 5 feet 6 inches tall. It is pertinent to note that she has no other aliases, is known to speak Farsi, and is residing in Iran at this time. 

Regarding her professional background, she was a former U.S. Air Force intelligence specialist and a special agent for the Office of Special Investigations, serving from 1997 to 2008.

Following her military service, she worked as a U.S. government contractor until 2010. Her roles granted her access to secret and top-secret data, including the identities of undercover U.S. intelligence personnel. She defected to Iran in 2013 and shared classified information with Tehran, endangering U.S. programs and personnel. 

The FBI notes that her information could specifically aid the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in intelligence collection, unconventional warfare, and support for terrorist organizations targeting Americans. 

Monica Witt’s case is part of a larger trend of U.S. citizens raising significant national security concerns through illegal foreign cooperation, such as the California mayor who admitted to acting as an unauthorized agent for the Chinese government.

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.