OAN Staff Lillian Mann
4:28 PM – Thursday, May 14, 2026
A $200,000 reward is being offered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for information regarding the arrest of Monica Witt, a former U.S. service member and counterintelligence agent, who is charged with espionage for Iran.
On Thursday, the FBI announced in a statement that Witt, 47-years-old, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia in February 2019 on espionage charges, including allegedly transmitting national defense information to the Iranian government.
Witt intentionally provided information that endangered U.S personnel and their families who were stationed overseas and conducted research on behalf of the Iranian regime which allowed them to target her former colleagues in the U.S. government, according to the statement.
“Monica 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,” said Daniel Wierzbicki, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division.
Witt is a former U.S. Air Force intelligence specialist and special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. She served in the military from 1997 to 2008 and later worked as a U.S. government contractor until 2010.
Witt’s position gave her access to top-secret information regarding foreign intelligence and counterintelligence, including the names of the U.S. intelligence personnel in undercover roles, according the statement.
In 2013, Witt reportedly fled to Iran and provided Tehran with extremely sensitive and classified U.S. information, programs and personnel.
Furthermore, the FBI’s statement also read that Witt’s information could benefit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which it describes as having elements responsible for intelligence collection, unconventional warfare and providing support to multiple terrorist organizations targeting U.S. citizens and U.S. interests.
“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 said. “The FBI wants to hear from you so you can help us apprehend Witt and bring her to justice.”
The ex-agent is known to speak Farsi and resides in Iran. The FBI also stated that she may be using aliases, including Fatemah Zahra or Narges Witt.
The FBI describes Monica Witt as a native of El Paso, Texas, and is approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds.
Anyone with information about Witt is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips may also be submitted to local FBI field offices, the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, or through the FBI’s online tip portal at tips.fbi.gov.
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