The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a reward of up to US$200,000 for information that could lead to the capture of a former U.S. Air Force officer who was charged in 2019 with spying for Iran.
FBI Renews Search for Monica Elfriede Witt
On Thursday, the FBI announced that it is still searching for Monica Elfriede Witt, a former intelligence specialist who they believe defected to Iran in 2013. According to the agency, Witt continues to support Iran's "nefarious activities."
“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,” said Daniel Wierzbicki, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division, in a media release. “The FBI wants to hear from you so you can help us apprehend Witt and bring her to justice.”
Background on the Case
Witt served as a counterintelligence officer for the Air Force Office of Special Investigation from 1997 to 2008. Between 2003 and 2008, she was assigned to counterintelligence assignments in the Middle East. Prosecutors alleged that Witt traveled to Iran in 2012 to attend a conference that criticized the United States and promoted anti-U.S. propaganda. She reportedly returned to Iran the following year and was provided with housing and computer equipment by Iranian officials.
In 2019, prosecutors alleged that Witt shared information about a classified Defense Department program with the Iranian government and helped the country’s intelligence services target her former colleagues in the U.S. government, according to CBS News. Authorities said Witt worked with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s military force, to expand Tehran’s influence around the world. Also in 2019, four Iranians were charged with conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, accused of helping Witt gather information on her former government colleagues.
