FBI posts $200,000 reward for ex-Air Force officer charged with spying for Iran

The FBI announced a $200,000 reward Thursday for information leading to the arrest of Monica Witt, a former Air Force counterintelligence officer charged with passing classified national defense secrets to Iran after defecting in 2013, according to CNN Wire.

The renewed push to apprehend Witt — more than a decade after her 2013 defection — comes amid heightened U.S.-Iran tensions, with FBI officials saying the current geopolitical climate may prompt those with knowledge of her location to come forward.

Witt served as a counterintelligence officer with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations from 2003 to 2008, including assignments in the Middle East, according to CNN Wire. She defected to Iran in 2013 but was not charged until February 2019, when federal prosecutors filed espionage counts against her.

Prosecutors allege Witt revealed a highly classified intelligence collection program to Iranian government officials and disclosed the identity of a U.S. intelligence officer. From January 2012 through May 2015, she allegedly conspired with Iranian nationals to transfer classified national defense documents and information, CNN Wire reported.

Iran allegedly provided Witt with housing, computer equipment, and other goods and services to facilitate her work on behalf of the Iranian government, according to CNN Wire.

Four Iranian nationals were separately charged in connection with the case on counts of conspiracy, computer intrusion, and aggravated identity theft, CNN Wire reported.

"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," said Daniel Wierzbicki, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Counterintelligence and Cyber Division, in a statement released Thursday.

The bureau urged anyone with knowledge of Witt's location to contact authorities, stating it "wants to hear from you so you can help us apprehend Witt and bring her to justice," according to its official announcement.

Witt's whereabouts have remained unknown for more than a decade since her defection. The FBI is accepting tips through its Rewards for Justice program, which offers financial incentives for information on fugitives and national security threats.