by SCN NEWS DESK
WASHINGTON — The Federal Bureau of Investigation has announced a $200,000 reward for information leading to the capture of former U.S. Air Force intelligence specialist Monica Witt, who is accused of defecting to Iran and leaking classified American defense secrets.
According to the FBI, Witt served as an Air Force counterintelligence specialist and later worked as a government contractor with access to highly sensitive SECRET and TOP SECRET information involving U.S. intelligence operations and undercover personnel.
Federal investigators allege Witt defected to Iran in 2013 and provided classified national defense information to the Iranian government, actions prosecutors say endangered U.S. intelligence officers and their families overseas.
The FBI says Witt’s activities allegedly benefited Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a powerful military organization accused by Washington of supporting regional militant networks and intelligence operations targeting U.S. interests.
Witt was formally indicted on espionage charges in 2019 but remains a fugitive believed to be living in Iran. Authorities say she speaks Farsi and may be using aliases including “Fatemah Zahra” and “Narges Witt.”
The renewed FBI reward announcement comes at a time of escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran following the ongoing Iran conflict, cyber warfare concerns, and fears over intelligence threats linked to the Middle East crisis.
Daniel Wierzbicki, head of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division, said Witt “betrayed her oath to the Constitution” and may still be supporting Iranian intelligence operations today.
Security analysts describe Witt’s alleged defection as one of the most damaging U.S. intelligence breaches involving Iran in recent years, particularly because of her access to counterintelligence programs and covert identities.