Monica Witt: $200,000 Reward Offered After Former U.S. Agent Defected to Iran
Monica Elfriede Witt, 39, is "a former U.S. service member and counterintelligence agent," who was "indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia for conspiracy to deliver and delivering national defense information to representatives of the Iranian government," according to the FBI.
On May 14, 2026, the agency announced a new reward. The FBI Washington Field Office announced that the FBI "is offering a $200,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension and prosecution of Monica Witt, a former U.S. service member and counterintelligence agent who was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia in February 2019 on charges of espionage, including transmitting national defense information to the government of Iran," a news release says.
She remains at large.
Witt, who defected to Iran in 2013, "is alleged to have assisted Iranian intelligence services in targeting her former fellow agents in the U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC). Witt is also alleged to have disclosed the code name and classified mission of a U.S. Department of Defense Special Access Program. An arrest warrant has been issued for Witt, who remains at large," the U.S. government wrote in 2019.
The same indictment charges four Iranian nationals, Mojtaba Masoumpour, Behzad Mesri, Hossein Parvar and Mohamad Paryar with conspiracy, attempts to commit computer intrusion and aggravated identity theft, "for conduct in 2014 and 2015 targeting former co-workers and colleagues of Witt in the U.S. Intelligence Community," the FBI wrote.
According to My San Antonio, "Witt was born in El Paso, and the birthday she used is April 8, 1979, making her 47 years old, according to the posting. The FBI suspects that she resides in Iran."
According to the FBI, the Alleged Conspirators Were Working for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps
The Cyber Conspirators, "using fictional and imposter social media accounts and working on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), sought to deploy malware that would provide them covert access to the targets' computers and networks," the FBI's statemenbt says. "Arrest warrants have been issued for the Cyber Conspirators, who also remain at large."
"Monica Witt is charged with revealing to the Iranian regime a highly classified intelligence program and the identity of a U.S. Intelligence Officer, all in violation of the law, her solemn oath to protect and defend our country, and the bounds of human decency," said Assistant Attorney General Demers, in a news release. "Four Iranian cyber hackers are also charged with various computer crimes targeting members of the U.S. intelligence community who were Ms. Witt's former colleagues. This case underscores the dangers to our intelligence professionals and the lengths our adversaries will go to identify them, expose them, target them, and, in a few rare cases, ultimately turn them against the nation they swore to protect. When our intelligence professionals are targeted or betrayed, the National Security Division will relentlessly pursue justice against the wrong-doers."
Monica Witt Is a U.S. Citizen Who Was an Active Duty Air Force Intelligence Specialist
Monica Witt, a U.S. citizen, "was an active duty U.S. Air Force Intelligence Specialist and Special Agent of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, who entered on duty in 1997 and left the U.S. government in 2008," the FBI explains.
"Monica Witt separated from the Air Force in 2008 and ended work with DOD as a contractor in 2010. During her tenure with the U.S. government, Witt was granted high-level security clearances and was deployed overseas to conduct classified counterintelligence missions," the FBI adds.
Monica Witt Traveled to Iran for a Conference on Hollywood, the FBI Says
In February 2012, Witt "traveled to Iran to attend the Iranian New Horizon Organization's 'Hollywoodism' conference, an IRGC-sponsored event aimed at, among other things, condemning American moral standards and promoting anti-U.S. propaganda," the indictment release explains.
"Through subsequent interactions and communications with a dual United States-Iranian citizen referred to in the indictment as Individual A, Witt successfully arranged to re-enter Iran in August 2013," the FBI wrote.
"Thereafter, Iranian government officials provided Witt with a housing and computer equipment. She went on to disclose U.S. classified information to the Iranian government official. As part of her work on behalf of the Iranian government, she conducted research about USIC personnel that she had known and worked with, and used that information to draft "target packages" against these U.S. agents.," the release says.
Beginning in late 2014, the FBI says "the Cyber Conspirators began a malicious campaign targeting Witt's former co-workers and colleagues. Specifically, Mesri registered and helped manage an Iranian company, the identity of which is known to the United States, which conducted computer intrusions against targets inside and outside the United States on behalf of the IRGC."
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 12:11 AM.