Overview
- The FBI, which announced the $200,000 offer Thursday, cited a “critical moment in Iran’s history” and asked for tips via 1-800-CALL-FBI, local FBI offices, U.S. embassies, or tips.fbi.gov.
- Witt, a former Air Force Office of Special Investigations agent with SECRET and TOP SECRET access, was indicted in 2019 for allegedly transmitting U.S. national defense information to Iran.
- Officials say she defected in 2013 and is believed to be in Iran using aliases such as Fatemah Zahra or Narges Witt, with investigators warning she likely still supports Iranian intelligence.
- Prosecutors accuse her of revealing a highly classified collection program and the identity of a U.S. intelligence officer, a breach they say put American personnel and their families at risk.
- The indictment says Iranian officials, including elements tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, provided housing and computer equipment to facilitate her work, and four Iranians were charged with related cyber and identity-theft offenses.