The Federal Bureau of Investigation has announced a $200,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of Monica Witt, a former U.S. Air Force officer charged with espionage for allegedly sharing classified intelligence with Iran.
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Authorities said on Thursday they are still attempting to locate Witt, who investigators believe defected to Iran in 2013.
Witt, a former special agent and counterintelligence specialist in the United States Air Force, was charged in 2019 with passing sensitive U.S. intelligence to the Iranian government. Officials allege she also helped Iranian intelligence services identify and target her former colleagues within the U.S. government.
Espionage Charges Filed in 2019
According to prosecutors, Witt disclosed details about a classified U.S. Department of Defense program and assisted Iranian intelligence efforts after leaving U.S. government service.
Investigators said she collaborated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite Iranian military force responsible for advancing Tehran’s strategic influence abroad.
The indictment filed in 2019 accused Witt of providing classified material and other sensitive information that could compromise U.S. intelligence operations. Authorities said the alleged disclosures also enabled Iranian intelligence to pursue former U.S. intelligence officials connected to Witt’s previous work.
Career in the U.S. Military
Witt joined the U.S. Air Force in 1997 and served until 2008, according to the Justice Department. After leaving the military, she worked as a contractor for the Defense Department until 2010.
Officials say her background as a counterintelligence specialist gave her access to sensitive information and contacts within the U.S. intelligence community.
Travel to Iran
Prosecutors say Witt traveled to Iran in 2012 to attend a conference that criticised what organisers described as American moral standards and promoted anti-U.S. messaging.
Authorities allege she returned to Iran in 2013, where officials provided her with accommodation and computer equipment.
Investigators say she then began working with Iranian intelligence, sharing classified information and helping collect intelligence on former U.S. colleagues.
Others Charged in the Case
The same 2019 indictment also charged four Iranian nationals with conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors accused them of assisting Witt in gathering information about individuals who had previously worked with her in the U.S. government.
U.S. authorities continue to seek information that could help locate Witt, whose current whereabouts remain unknown.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 15 May 2026
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