The FBI introduced on Thursday that it’s providing $200,000 for data that results in the arrest and prosecution of a former active-duty U.S. Air Power intelligence specialist and particular agent for the Air Power Workplace of Particular Investigations who’s accused of espionage.
Monica Witt, 47, additionally identified to make use of the aliases Fatemah Zarah and Narges Witt, was federally indicted in Washington, D.C. in 2018 and charged with espionage. She is accused of defecting to Iran and turning over categorized data to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Right here’s what we learn about Witt’s alleged descent from American warfighter to suspected Iranian asset.
U.S. army service
Witt was born in El Paso, Texas, and enlisted within the Air Power in 1997, shortly after her 18th birthday. In response to the New York Instances, she was assigned to an RC-135 reconnaissance airplane crew.
Her 2018 indictment says she was assigned to the U.S. Protection Language Institute in Monterey, California, between 1998 and 1999, the place she discovered Persian Farsi.
From Could 1999 to November 2003, Witt was deployed to “a number of abroad areas with the intention to conduct categorized missions amassing indicators intelligence.”
In 2002, she reportedly deployed to Saudi Arabia.
The indictment says Witt was assigned as an Air Power Workplace of Particular Investigations (AFOSI) particular agent, prison investigator, and counterintelligence officer, the place she deployed elsewhere within the Center East, together with Iraq in 2005 and Qatar in 2006.
She was a part of a “Particular Entry Program” (SAP) that gave her entry to categorized data, together with “particulars of ongoing counterintelligence operations, true names of sources, and the identities of U.S. brokers concerned within the recruitment of these sources.”
“This SAP was identified throughout the USIC by a code identify,” the indictment says. “The code identify allowed brokers to speak within the open with out disclosing the true nature of their operations.”
Witt’s time as a member of the Air Power got here to an finish in 2008.
Authorities contracting and schooling
From 2008 till 2010, Witt was employed as a authorities contractor however labored with AFOSI.
The New York Instances reported that Witt obtained a bachelor’s diploma from the College of Maryland in 2008, nearly the identical time she left the Air Power. Thereafter, she enrolled in a graduate program at George Washington College in Center Japanese research.
Witt was described as “withdrawn” and “alienated” by classmates, who additionally talked about “drone strikes, extrajudicial killings, and atrocities towards youngsters.”
It was in February 2012, simply earlier than she graduated from George Washington College, that the federal government says Witt set her plans to betray the USA and defect to Iran in movement.
She traveled to Iran that month to attend the Worldwide Convention on Hollywoodism in Tehran, an anti-Western occasion held through the Fajr Worldwide Movie Competition annually, “aimed toward condemning American ethical requirements and selling anti-U.S. propaganda,” in line with the indictment.
Throughout that journey, she is accused of offering her “bona fides” to the IRGC with the intention to set up that she was a reputable supply of American nationwide protection intelligence and that she disclosed authorities secrets and techniques to them.
She was not invited to the Hollywoodism, however was allowed to talk anyway, in line with The New York Instances. The indictment says she “was recognized as a U.S. veteran and made statements that have been vital of the U.S. authorities, realizing these movies could be broadcast by Iranian media shops.”
On the similar time, her public conversion to Islam was filmed and broadcast on Iranian state tv.
In Could, at about the identical time she obtained her graduate diploma, the FBI reached out to Witt, telling her she was a major goal for recruitment by Iranian intelligence officers.
Defection
By then, it was too late.
Witt had grow to be ensnared by a “spotter” — somebody who recruits on behalf of a overseas intelligence service — on this case, Iran.
The indictment refers back to the “spotter” as “Particular person A,” named by The New York Instances as Louisiana-born journalist turned naturalized Iranian citizen and state tv broadcaster, Marzieh Hashemi.
Hashemi allegedly traveled to the U.S., and together with Witt, filmed an anti-Western propaganda movie that was later distributed in Iran.
Over the course of the following yr, in line with the indictment, Witt bounced round from nation to nation whereas she labored with Hashemi to realize everlasting residence in Iran. A few of that point was spent in Dubai and Afghanistan.
Round that point, the FBI put out a lacking individuals declaration for Witt, saying that as of July 2013, she was believed to be in both Afghanistan or Tajikistan, instructing English.
Textual content messages between the pair chronicled their efforts, together with Iranian suspicion of Witt and alleged plans to “slip into Russia quietly” and expose U.S. secrets and techniques through WikiLeaks if she couldn’t acquire entry to Iran. Witt explicitly stated in a single message that she wouldn’t go to Turkey for worry of the nation’s extradition settlement with the USA.
However on Aug. 25, 2013, in line with the indictment, Witt despatched an e-mail titled “My Bio and Job Historical past” to Hashemi, which contained extra “bona fides,” her Certificates of Launch or Discharge From Energetic Responsibility DD-214 kind, and her Islamic “conversion narrative.” The indictment alleges that across the similar time, she searched on Fb for the names of U.S. intelligence providers property.
The identical day, that e-mail was forwarded to an e-mail deal with related to the Iranian authorities.
On Aug. 28, 2013, she boarded a flight to Iran.
“I’m signing off and heading out! Coming residence,” she texted Hashemi.
Life in Iran
Instantly after defecting, Witt was accused of offering Iranian authorities officers with the code identify for a Division of Protection SAP.
All through 2014 and 2015, she is accused of serving to create “goal packages,” outlined as, “a doc, or set of paperwork, assembled to allow an intelligence or army unit to seek out, repair, observe, and neutralize a menace,” for the Iranian authorities.
These “goal patches” have allegedly included the names of U.S. counterintelligence brokers.
Later, she is accused of linking up with Iranian hackers and producing malware “designed to seize a goal’s keystrokes, entry a pc’s internet digicam, and monitor different laptop exercise.”
This expertise was turned towards U.S. intelligence property, whom Witt recognized, in line with the indictment. Witt and her co-defendants concocted schemes to implant malware on the computer systems of U.S. army intelligence staff identified to Witt, principally by reaching out to them via Fb.
She was indicted alongside 4 different co-conspirators accused within the hacking operation.
Witt is formally charged with conspiracy to ship and delivering nationwide protection data to representatives of the Iranian authorities, delivering nationwide protection data to representatives of the Iranian authorities, conspiracy to commit laptop intrusion, laptop intrusion, aggravated id theft, and aiding and abetting.
“Monica Witt allegedly betrayed her oath to the Structure greater than a decade in the past by defecting to Iran and offering the Iranian regime Nationwide Protection Data and sure continues to help their nefarious actions,” Daniel Wierzbicki, particular agent in command of the FBI Washington Area Workplace’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division, stated in Thursday’s announcement in regards to the $200,000 reward.
“The FBI has not forgotten and believes that in this vital second in Iran’s historical past, there may be somebody who is aware of one thing about her whereabouts. The FBI needs to listen to from you so you’ll be able to assist us apprehend Witt and produce her to justice.”
