Monica Witt: Difference between revisions
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{{orphan|date=February 2019}} |
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{{in use|time=17:15, 14 February 2019 (UTC)}} |
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{{Infobox person |
{{Infobox person |
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| name = Monica Elfriede Witt<!-- use common name/article title --> |
| name = Monica Elfriede Witt<!-- use common name/article title --> |
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1979|04|08}}<!-- {{Birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} for living people supply only the year with {{Birth year and age|YYYY}} unless the exact date is already widely published, as per [[WP:DOB]]. For people who have died, use {{Birth date|YYYY|MM|DD}}. --> |
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1979|04|08}}<!-- {{Birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} for living people supply only the year with {{Birth year and age|YYYY}} unless the exact date is already widely published, as per [[WP:DOB]]. For people who have died, use {{Birth date|YYYY|MM|DD}}. --> |
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| criminal_charge = [[Espionage]]<!-- Criminality parameters should be supported with citations from reliable sources --> |
| criminal_charge = [[Espionage]]<!-- Criminality parameters should be supported with citations from reliable sources --> |
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| height = 5 ft 6 in<ref name="FBI Missing" /><!-- "X cm", "X m" or "X ft Y in" plus optional reference (conversions are automatic) --> |
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| residence = [[Iran]] ({{as of|2013|08|lc=yes}}) |
| residence = [[Iran]] ({{as of|2013|08|lc=yes}}) |
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| birth_place = [[Texas]], |
| birth_place = [[El Paso, Texas]], US |
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| module = |
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{{Infobox military person | embed = yes |
{{Infobox military person | embed = yes |
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|branch = [[United States Air Force]] |
|branch = [[United States Air Force]] |
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|rank = [[File:E6 USAF TSGT.svg|20px|link=technical sergeant#United States Air Force]] [[technical sergeant#United States Air Force|Technical sergeant]] |
|rank = [[File:E6 USAF TSGT.svg|20px|link=technical sergeant#United States Air Force]] [[technical sergeant#United States Air Force|Technical sergeant]] |
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|serviceyears = |
|serviceyears = 1997–2008 |
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|awards = [[File:Air Medal ribbon.svg|40px|link=Air Medal]] [[Air Medal]] |
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'''Monica Elfriede Witt''' (born {{birth date|1979|04|08}} |
'''Monica Elfriede Witt'''<ref name="FBI Missing" /> (born {{birth date|1979|04|08}} in [[El Paso, Texas]])<ref name="2019-02-13b BBC" /> is a former [[United States Air Force]] [[technical sergeant#United States Air Force|technical sergeant]] and [[military intelligence]] [[defense contractor]] who has been [[criminal charge|charged]] with [[espionage]] against the United States. |
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==Education== |
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While serving in the [[United States Air Force]] from August 1997 – March 2008,<ref name="2019-02-13 WAPO" /> Witt possessed a [[security clearance#United States|top secret security clearance]], and deployed to the [[Middle East]] in support of "classified counterintelligence operations."<ref name="2019-02-13 BBC" /> She later [[separation (United States military)|separated]] as a [[technical sergeant#United States Air Force|technical sergeant]].<ref name="2019-02-13 NYT" /> Thereafter she worked as a [[United States Department of Defense]] contractor from 2008–2010.<ref name="2019-02-13 WAPO" /> In both capacities, she worked with [[military intelligence]] and had access to "ongoing counterintelligence operations and the true names of intelligence assets and the identities of American officials involved in their recruitment."<ref name="2019-02-13 NYT" /> |
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On her [[curriculum vitae]], Witt claimed to have a [[bachelor's degree]] from [[University of Maryland, College Park]], a [[master's degree]] from [[George Washington University]] (GWU), and [[Persian language|Persian-language]] certification from the [[Defense Language Institute]].<ref name="2019-02-13b BBC" /> |
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==Career== |
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As both a servicemember and civilian contractor, Witt worked with [[military intelligence]] and had access to "ongoing counterintelligence operations and the true names of intelligence assets and the identities of American officials involved in their recruitment."<ref name="2019-02-13 NYT" /> |
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===US Air Force=== |
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Witt joined the [[United States Air Force]] in August<ref name="2019-02-13 WAPO" /> or December 1997. At [[Offutt Air Force Base]], she was a [[Persian language|Persian-language]] specialist, and beginning in November 2003 at [[Andrews Air Force Base]], Witt was an [[United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations|Air Force Office of Special Investigations]] [[special agent]]. Witt received the [[Air Medal]],<ref name="2019-02-13b BBC" /> possessed the highest-level of [[security clearance#United States|US security clearance]], and deployed to the [[Middle East]] in support of "classified counterintelligence operations."<ref name="2019-02-13 BBC" /> Witt [[separation (United States military)|separated]] as a [[technical sergeant#United States Air Force|technical sergeant]] in either June<ref name="2019-02-13b BBC" /> or March 2008.<ref name="2019-02-13 WAPO" /> |
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===Civilian=== |
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For the rest of 2008, Witt worked in [[Maryland]] for [[Booz Allen Hamilton]] as a [[defense contractor]], "consulting on 'Iranian subject matter' and providing 'language and cultural specialisation'." Witt next worked for contractor [[Chenega Federal Systems]] as a "Middle East Desk Officer [who] supervised, controlled, and co-ordinated the execution of highly sensitive counterintelligence operations against foreign intelligence services worldwide". |
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Until May 2011, she worked for the [[nonprofit organization]] [[Amidest]], submitting "applications for 60 Iraqi [[Fulbright]] candidates to multiple US universities". In 2012, she published two articles in GWU's ''[[International Affairs Review]]''.<ref name="2019-02-13b BBC" /> |
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==Defection== |
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Witt's friends last heard from her in summer 2013 when she was in [[Afghanistan]] or [[Tajikistan]] [[teaching English as a second or foreign language]], and they reported her missing after several months of non-communication. Prior to the unsealing of the indictment against her, Witt was the subject of a [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) [[missing person]] case. As part of their appeal to the public, the FBI announced that Witt had previously traveled to the [[United Arab Emirates]] and [[Iran]].<ref name="FBI Missing" /> |
Witt's friends last heard from her in summer 2013 when she was in [[Afghanistan]] or [[Tajikistan]] [[teaching English as a second or foreign language]], and they reported her missing after several months of non-communication. Prior to the unsealing of the indictment against her, Witt was the subject of a [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) [[missing person]] case. As part of their appeal to the public, the FBI announced that Witt had previously traveled to the [[United Arab Emirates]] and [[Iran]].<ref name="FBI Missing" /> |
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<ref name="2019-02-13 BBC">{{cite news |date=2019-02-13 |title=Ex-US Air Force officer Monica Witt charged with spying for Iran |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47231777 |dead-url=no |language=en |publisher=[[BBC News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213220426/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47231777 |archive-date=2019-02-13 |access-date=2019-02-13 |quote=US prosecutors have accused a former US Air Force officer of spying for Iran in an elaborate operation that targeted her fellow intelligence officers.}}</ref><!-- exhausted --> |
<ref name="2019-02-13 BBC">{{cite news |date=2019-02-13 |title=Ex-US Air Force officer Monica Witt charged with spying for Iran |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47231777 |dead-url=no |language=en |publisher=[[BBC News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213220426/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47231777 |archive-date=2019-02-13 |access-date=2019-02-13 |quote=US prosecutors have accused a former US Air Force officer of spying for Iran in an elaborate operation that targeted her fellow intelligence officers.}}</ref><!-- exhausted --> |
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<ref name="2019-02-13b BBC">{{cite news |date=2019-02-13 |title=Monica Witt: Who is the woman at the centre of the spying case? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47230150 |dead-url=no |language=en |publisher=[[BBC News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214071847/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47230150 |archive-date=2019-02-14 |access-date=2019-02-14 |quote=US prosecutors have accused a former US Air Force officer of spying for Iran in an elaborate operation that targeted her fellow intelligence officers.}}</ref> |
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<ref name="2019-02-13 NYT">{{cite news |last1=Goldman |first1=Adam |author-link1=Adam Goldman |date=2019-02-13 |title=Former Air Force Intelligence Agent Charged With Spying for Iran |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/world/middleeast/air-force-monica-elfriede-witt-iran.html |dead-url=no |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en |location=[[Washington, D.C.]] |publisher=[[A. G. Sulzberger]] |issn=1553-8095 |oclc=1645522 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213210604/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/world/middleeast/air-force-monica-elfriede-witt-iran.html |archive-date=2019-03-13 |access-date=2019-02-13}}</ref><!-- exhausted --> |
<ref name="2019-02-13 NYT">{{cite news |last1=Goldman |first1=Adam |author-link1=Adam Goldman |date=2019-02-13 |title=Former Air Force Intelligence Agent Charged With Spying for Iran |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/world/middleeast/air-force-monica-elfriede-witt-iran.html |dead-url=no |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en |location=[[Washington, D.C.]] |publisher=[[A. G. Sulzberger]] |issn=1553-8095 |oclc=1645522 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213210604/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/world/middleeast/air-force-monica-elfriede-witt-iran.html |archive-date=2019-03-13 |access-date=2019-02-13}}</ref><!-- exhausted --> |
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[[Category:21st-century spies]] |
[[Category:21st-century spies]] |
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[[Category:American defectors]] |
[[Category:American defectors]] |
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[[Category:American emigrants to Iran]] |
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Revision as of 17:15, 14 February 2019
 | This article is actively undergoing a major edit for a short while. To help avoid edit conflicts, please do not edit this page while this message is displayed. This message was added at 17:15, 14 February 2019 (UTC). This page was last edited at 17:15, 14 February 2019 (UTC) (5 years ago) – this estimate is cached, . Please remove this template if this page hasn't been edited for a significant time. If you are the editor who added this template, please be sure to remove it or replace it with {{Under construction}} between editing sessions. |
Monica Elfriede Witt | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 8, 1979 El Paso, Texas, US |
| Criminal charge | Espionage |
| Military career | |
| Service/ | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1997–2008 |
| Rank |  Technical sergeant |
| Awards |  Air Medal |
Monica Elfriede Witt[1] (born April 8, 1979 in El Paso, Texas)[2] is a former United States Air Force technical sergeant and military intelligence defense contractor who has been charged with espionage against the United States.
Education
On her curriculum vitae, Witt claimed to have a bachelor's degree from University of Maryland, College Park, a master's degree from George Washington University (GWU), and Persian-language certification from the Defense Language Institute.[2]
Career
As both a servicemember and civilian contractor, Witt worked with military intelligence and had access to "ongoing counterintelligence operations and the true names of intelligence assets and the identities of American officials involved in their recruitment."[3]
US Air Force
Witt joined the United States Air Force in August[4] or December 1997. At Offutt Air Force Base, she was a Persian-language specialist, and beginning in November 2003 at Andrews Air Force Base, Witt was an Air Force Office of Special Investigations special agent. Witt received the Air Medal,[2] possessed the highest-level of US security clearance, and deployed to the Middle East in support of "classified counterintelligence operations."[5] Witt separated as a technical sergeant in either June[2] or March 2008.[4]
Civilian
For the rest of 2008, Witt worked in Maryland for Booz Allen Hamilton as a defense contractor, "consulting on 'Iranian subject matter' and providing 'language and cultural specialisation'." Witt next worked for contractor Chenega Federal Systems as a "Middle East Desk Officer [who] supervised, controlled, and co-ordinated the execution of highly sensitive counterintelligence operations against foreign intelligence services worldwide".
Until May 2011, she worked for the nonprofit organization Amidest, submitting "applications for 60 Iraqi Fulbright candidates to multiple US universities". In 2012, she published two articles in GWU's International Affairs Review.[2]
Defection
Witt's friends last heard from her in summer 2013 when she was in Afghanistan or Tajikistan teaching English as a second or foreign language, and they reported her missing after several months of non-communication. Prior to the unsealing of the indictment against her, Witt was the subject of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) missing person case. As part of their appeal to the public, the FBI announced that Witt had previously traveled to the United Arab Emirates and Iran.[1]
On February 13, 2019, a United States Department of Justice indictment against Witt was unsealed,[4] detailing charges of espionage against her. According to the indictment, Witt was recruited by Quds Force after attending two New Horizon Organization conferences; such conferences "often included an 'anti-Western' sentiment and 'propagate anti-Semitism and conspiracy theories including Holocaust denial'." The indictment also says that Witt shared the names of US intelligence assets and operational details with Iran as early as January 2012. That year, Witt relayed to her Iranian contact, "I loved the work, and I am endeavouring to put the training I received to good use instead of evil. Thanks for giving me the opportunity."[5] It was allegedly August 2013 when Witt provided an Iranian intelligence recruiter with her biography and job history. Witt moved to Iran that same month, and was provided with "housing and computer equipment" by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.[3] Since arriving in Iran, Witt has purportedly appeared on television converting to Islam and criticizing the United States.[5] Prosecutors further allege that Witt not only divulged an ongoing Pentagon special access program,[4] but also provided Iran with the names and Facebook accounts of US counterintelligence operatives.[3]
As of February 2019[update], Witt remained fugitive from a US warrant for her arrest.[5]
References
- ^ a b "MONICA ELFRIEDE WITT". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Archived from the original on 2019-01-10. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e "Monica Witt: Who is the woman at the centre of the spying case?". BBC News. 2019-02-13. Archived from the original on 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
US prosecutors have accused a former US Air Force officer of spying for Iran in an elaborate operation that targeted her fellow intelligence officers.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c Goldman, Adam (2019-02-13). "Former Air Force Intelligence Agent Charged With Spying for Iran". The New York Times. Washington, D.C.: A. G. Sulzberger. ISSN 1553-8095. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on 2019-03-13. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
{{cite news}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 2019-02-13 suggested (help); Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d Zapotosky, Matt (2019-02-13). "U.S. charges former Air Force intelligence specialist with conspiring to provide Iran with classified information". Washington Post. Fred Ryan. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 2269358. Archived from the original on 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d "Ex-US Air Force officer Monica Witt charged with spying for Iran". BBC News. 2019-02-13. Archived from the original on 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
US prosecutors have accused a former US Air Force officer of spying for Iran in an elaborate operation that targeted her fellow intelligence officers.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)