The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced a $200,000 reward for information leading to the arrest or location of former U.S. Air Force officer Monica Witt, who is accused of espionage on behalf of Iran.
Witt was indicted in 2019 on charges of providing classified U.S. intelligence to Iran. According to the FBI, she left the United States in 2013 and has since been a fugitive, believed to have travelled to Iran.
Daniel Wierzbicki, head of counterintelligence and cyber operations at the FBI’s Washington Field Office, said the agency believes someone may currently have information about her whereabouts. He urged the public to come forward, saying assistance could help bring Witt to justice.
Witt joined the U.S. Air Force in 1997 and served until 2008. She later worked as a contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense until 2010.
Reports indicate that she later attended a conference in Iran that was focused on criticising American moral and cultural values.
The FBI alleges that Witt collaborated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which was established after the 1979 revolution to expand Iran’s regional and global influence.
In the same case, four Iranian nationals were also charged in 2019 with conspiracy and identity theft in connection with the alleged espionage network.
