WASHINGTON, D.C. — The case involving former U.S. Air Force intelligence specialist Monica Elfriede Witt has returned to national attention in 2026 after the FBI renewed efforts to locate the El Paso-born former counterintelligence officer accused of defecting to Iran and providing classified national defense information to the Iranian government. Federal authorities announced in May 2026 that a reward of up to $200,000 is now being offered for information leading to Witt’s arrest and prosecution.
Monica Witt, born April 8, 1979, in El Paso, Texas, enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1997 shortly after turning 18. During her military career, she trained in Persian Farsi at the Defense Language Institute and later served as both an Airborne Cryptologic Language Analyst and a counterintelligence special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Her assignments reportedly included deployments to Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and other classified overseas locations connected to U.S. intelligence operations.
Federal investigators say Witt had access to highly sensitive intelligence programs, including classified counterintelligence operations, intelligence source identities, and special access programs tied to U.S. national security efforts. According to the Department of Justice indictment unsealed in 2019, Witt later used that knowledge to assist the Iranian government after defecting in 2013.
After leaving active military service in 2008, Witt continued working within the intelligence community as a defense contractor before enrolling at George Washington University, where she studied Middle Eastern studies. Former classmates later described her as increasingly isolated and outspoken regarding U.S. military operations in the Middle East.
Authorities allege Witt’s transformation accelerated after attending anti-American conferences in Iran beginning in 2012. Prosecutors say she publicly criticized the United States while appearing on Iranian state television and converted to Islam during broadcasts aired in Iran. According to federal investigators, Witt eventually became associated with individuals connected to Iranian intelligence operations and anti-Western propaganda efforts.
The FBI alleges that in August 2013, Witt traveled permanently to Iran after forwarding personal military records, work history information, and classified-related details to Iranian contacts. Once in Iran, investigators say she helped identify former U.S. intelligence personnel and assisted Iranian cyber operations targeting her former colleagues through malware and online surveillance campaigns.
In February 2019, a federal grand jury formally charged Witt with conspiracy to deliver national defense information to representatives of a foreign government, espionage, computer intrusion, and related cybercrime offenses. Four Iranian nationals were also charged in connection with alleged hacking operations tied to the case.
The FBI continues to classify Monica Witt as an international flight risk and believes she remains in Iran under aliases including “Fatemah Zahra” and “Narges Witt.” Federal officials have stated that her actions allegedly endangered U.S. intelligence personnel and compromised sensitive national security operations.
The case has regained renewed public interest amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran in 2026, with federal agencies intensifying efforts to locate individuals accused of espionage and foreign intelligence cooperation. The FBI says anyone with information regarding Witt’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact federal authorities.
