The FBI is offering $ 200,000 for information about Monica Witt
15 may 2026 в 21:13
Monica Witt, a former counterintelligence specialist with the U.S. Air Force, remains one of the FBI’s most wanted criminals years after she allegedly defected to Iran and shared classified information with its intelligence services. The case drew renewed attention in May 2026 when the FBI announced a reward of $ 200,000 for information leading to her capture. Witt was charged with espionage in 2019, accused of disclosing sensitive intelligence operations and assisting Iran in targeting former American officials.
Learn more about Witt, her military career, and where investigators believe she may be now.
Witt served in the U.S. Air Force from 1997 to 2008 and then worked as a defense contractor. In 2013, she allegedly defected to Iran. In 2019, a federal grand jury indicted her on espionage charges, accusing her of passing classified national security information and aiding Iranian intelligence in targeting her former American colleagues.
According to the FBI, «On February 8, 2019, a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia indicted Witt, and a federal arrest warrant was issued after she was charged with conspiracy to transmit national defense information to representatives of a foreign government and transmitting such information to representatives of a foreign government, specifically the government of Iran».
Witt was born in Texas in 1979 and reportedly served in the Air Force from 1997 to 2008 before later working as a defense contractor. Authorities claim she ultimately connected with groups linked to Iranian intelligence after traveling to Iran for conferences in the early 2010s.
During her military career, Witt worked as a cryptologist and counterintelligence specialist in the U.S. Air Force. She studied Persian (Farsi) at the Defense Language Institute and later served as a special agent in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Her work reportedly provided her access to highly sensitive and classified information regarding covert operations, undercover personnel, and counterintelligence programs.
According to federal investigators, Witt used her intelligence knowledge and information about U.S. activities to assist Iran after defecting. Prosecutors allege that she helped Iranian operatives identify and target former American intelligence officers through cyber and surveillance efforts.
The FBI believes Witt is currently residing in Iran and may continue to assist Iranian intelligence operations. Authorities report that she remains at large and may be using aliases, including «Fatemeh Zahra» and «Narges Witt».
In May 2026, the FBI announced a reward of $ 200,000 for information leading to Witt’s arrest and prosecution. «The FBI has not forgotten and believes that at this critical moment in Iran’s history, there is someone who knows something about her whereabouts», - said Daniel Virzbicky, a special agent in charge of counterintelligence and cyber intelligence at the FBI’s Washington field office, in a statement in May 2026, according to CNN. «The FBI wants to hear from you so you can help us apprehend Witt and bring her to justice»
Learn more about Witt, her military career, and where investigators believe she may be now.
Witt served in the U.S. Air Force from 1997 to 2008 and then worked as a defense contractor. In 2013, she allegedly defected to Iran. In 2019, a federal grand jury indicted her on espionage charges, accusing her of passing classified national security information and aiding Iranian intelligence in targeting her former American colleagues.
According to the FBI, «On February 8, 2019, a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia indicted Witt, and a federal arrest warrant was issued after she was charged with conspiracy to transmit national defense information to representatives of a foreign government and transmitting such information to representatives of a foreign government, specifically the government of Iran».
Witt was born in Texas in 1979 and reportedly served in the Air Force from 1997 to 2008 before later working as a defense contractor. Authorities claim she ultimately connected with groups linked to Iranian intelligence after traveling to Iran for conferences in the early 2010s.
During her military career, Witt worked as a cryptologist and counterintelligence specialist in the U.S. Air Force. She studied Persian (Farsi) at the Defense Language Institute and later served as a special agent in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Her work reportedly provided her access to highly sensitive and classified information regarding covert operations, undercover personnel, and counterintelligence programs.
According to federal investigators, Witt used her intelligence knowledge and information about U.S. activities to assist Iran after defecting. Prosecutors allege that she helped Iranian operatives identify and target former American intelligence officers through cyber and surveillance efforts.
The FBI believes Witt is currently residing in Iran and may continue to assist Iranian intelligence operations. Authorities report that she remains at large and may be using aliases, including «Fatemeh Zahra» and «Narges Witt».
In May 2026, the FBI announced a reward of $ 200,000 for information leading to Witt’s arrest and prosecution. «The FBI has not forgotten and believes that at this critical moment in Iran’s history, there is someone who knows something about her whereabouts», - said Daniel Virzbicky, a special agent in charge of counterintelligence and cyber intelligence at the FBI’s Washington field office, in a statement in May 2026, according to CNN. «The FBI wants to hear from you so you can help us apprehend Witt and bring her to justice»
© Artemenko Olga
