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Who is Monica Witt? FBI offers $200K reward for capture of ex-Air Force specialist, new poster in Farsi language issued
Monica Witt, a former U.S. Air Force member, is wanted by the FBI for allegedly providing classified information to Iran.
Monica Witt: The FBI has released a new wanted poster in Farsi, offering a reward of $200,000 for any information that leads to the capture and prosecution of former U.S. Air Force counterintelligence specialist Monica Witt, who faces charges for disclosing classified information to the Iranian government.
The poster, which was published on the FBI’s website earlier this week, seems to be aimed at reaching Farsi-speaking Iranians. This initiative highlights the FBI’s renewed commitment to apprehending and prosecuting Witt in a protracted national security case concerning the alleged transfer of classified intelligence to a foreign adversary.
$200,000 reward on info regarding Monica Witt
Following the announcement by the FBI on May 14 regarding a $200,000 reward for information that could lead to Witt’s arrest and prosecution, it is noted that both the English and Farsi versions of the FBI’s 'wanted' poster indicate that she is known to speak Farsi and is believed to reside in Iran.
A representative from the FBI chose not to provide any comments to Newsweek concerning the tips that may have been received since the announcement.
Witt, 47, was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2019 on charges related to espionage, which include the transmission of national defense information to the Iranian government. Subsequently, a federal warrant was issued for her arrest.
The FBI has renewed interest in Witt’s case as the United States has been engaged in conflict with Iran since late February. Officials suspect that the ongoing instability in Iran may reveal information regarding Witt’s location.
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," stated Daniel Wierzbicki, the special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division, in a statement released earlier this month.
“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 added.
The FBI has characterized Witt as a Caucasian female, standing at 5 feet 6 inches tall, possessing brown hair and brown eyes, and weighing approximately 120 pounds. Her known aliases include Fatemah Zahra and Narges Witt.
Who is Monica Elfriede Witt?
Witt is a former intelligence specialist in the U.S. Air Force and served as a special agent for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
Her tenure in the Air Force spanned from 1997 to 2008, during which she received training in the Farsi language and was deployed internationally on classified counterintelligence operations, including missions in the Middle East. Following her service, she worked as a contractor for the Defense Department until 2010.
A native of El Paso, Texas, Witt defected to Iran in 2013 after receiving invitations to two fully funded conferences in the country, which the Justice Department claims were aimed at promoting anti-Western propaganda and criticizing American moral values.
