Federal authorities have announced a substantial $200,000 bounty for details that could lead to the arrest and conviction of a former military counterintelligence officer who fled to Iran more than a decade ago and now faces espionage charges.
Monica Elfriede Witt, currently in her 40s, was formally charged by federal prosecutors in February 2019 with espionage-related crimes, including sharing sensitive national defense materials with Iranian authorities. She continues to evade capture.
According to Daniel Wierzbicki, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division, 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.”
“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,” he stated in Wednesday’s announcement.
The timing behind the FBI’s renewed focus on Witt’s case remains unclear. The United States and Iran have been at war since Feb. 28.
Witt’s military career spanned from 1997 to 2008, during which she received training in Farsi and participated in classified overseas counterintelligence operations, including assignments in the Middle East. Following her military service, she worked as a Defense Department contractor.
The Texas-born former officer left for Iran in 2013 following invitations to attend two fully-funded conferences in that country, which federal prosecutors describe as events that promoted anti-Western messaging and criticized American values.
Prior to her departure, FBI agents had cautioned Witt about her conduct, but she assured them she would not share sensitive work-related information if she traveled to Iran, according to prosecutors.
Court documents reveal that Witt compromised “sensitive and classified U.S. national defense information and programs,” the announcement stated.
“Witt allegedly intentionally provided information endangering U.S personnel and their families stationed abroad. She also allegedly conducted research on behalf of the Iranian regime to allow them to target her former colleagues in the U.S. government,” authorities said.
