Monica Witt EX US Air Force Officer was an IRI Spy
Monica Witt Converted to Islam and become a Spy for IRI
Marzieh Hashemi had a Connection with Monica Witt
Marzieh Hashemi Snitched about Monica Witt to FBI
Marzieh Hashemi was a Material Witness for Monica Witt
Band of IRGC Iranian Hackers are Connected to the Case
Marzieh Hashemi is Connected to Press TV
Press TV Connected to Trita Parsi
Trita Parsi Connected to PCC Persian Cultural Center San Diego
San Diego PCC is the Iran Lobby Money Laundry Bank
Connect the Dots and It All Ends Up in Tehran
Iran Lobby Espionage Puzzle is Coming Together
The Case is Coming Together, This is Only the Begining
ABDOLLAH KARIMA
Conspiracy to Commit Computer Hacking; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Computer Fraud - Unauthorized Access for Private Financial Gain; Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Thefthttps://www.fbi.gov/wanted/cyber/abdollah-karima
ROOZBEH SABAHI
Conspiracy to Commit Computer Hacking; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Computer Fraud - Unauthorized Access for Private Financial Gain; Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Thefthttps://www.fbi.gov/wanted/cyber/roozbeh-sabahi
MOHAMMED REZA SABAHI
Conspiracy to Commit Computer Hacking; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Computer Fraud - Unauthorized Access for Private Financial Gain; Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Thefthttps://www.fbi.gov/wanted/cyber/mohammed-reza-sabahi
ABUZAR GOHARI MOQADAM
Conspiracy to Commit Computer Hacking; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Computer Fraud - Unauthorized Access for Private Financial Gain; Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Thefthttps://www.fbi.gov/wanted/cyber/abuzar-gohari-moqadam
SEYED ALI MIRKARIMI
Conspiracy to Commit Computer Hacking; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Computer Fraud - Unauthorized Access for Private Financial Gain; Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Thefthttps://www.fbi.gov/wanted/cyber/seyed-ali-mirkarimi
MOSTAFA SADEGHI
Conspiracy to Commit Computer Hacking; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Computer Fraud - Unauthorized Access for Private Financial Gain; Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Thefthttps://www.fbi.gov/wanted/cyber/mostafa-sadeghi
SAJJAD TAHMASEBI
Conspiracy to Commit Computer Hacking; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Computer Fraud - Unauthorized Access for Private Financial Gain; Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Thefthttps://www.fbi.gov/wanted/cyber/sajjad-tahmasebi
GHOLAMREZA RAFATNEJAD
Conspiracy to Commit Computer Hacking; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Computer Fraud - Unauthorized Access for Private Financial Gain; Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Thefthttps://www.fbi.gov/wanted/cyber/gholamreza-rafatnejad
EHSAN MOHAMMADI
Conspiracy to Commit Computer Hacking; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Computer Fraud - Unauthorized Access for Private Financial Gain; Wire Fraud; Aggravated Identity Thefthttps://www.fbi.gov/wanted/cyber/ehsan-mohammadi*
Ex-US Air Force officer Monica Witt charged with spying for IranBBC
https://www.bbc.com/Monica Witt (pictured) allegedly underwent an "ideological" shift before defecting to Iran.US prosecutors have accused a former US Air Force officer of spying for Iran in an elaborate operation that targeted her fellow intelligence officers.
Monica Witt, who allegedly defected to Iran in 2013, had previously worked as a US counterintelligence officer.
Four Iranian citizens have also been charged with attempting to install spy software on computers belonging to Ms Witt's colleagues.
According to the FBI, Ms Witt was last seen in southwest Asia in July 2013.
Prosecutors say Ms Witt had been granted the highest level of US security clearance and worked in the US Air Force from 1997 to 2008.
The US Department of Treasury has also sanctioned two Iranian companies - New Horizon Organization and Net Peygard Samavat Company - for their role in the plot.
"It is a sad day for America when one of its citizens betrays our country, said Assistant Attorney General John Demers, the head of the justice department's national security division.
What are the charges?
Ms Witt is accused of sharing US government secrets, including the name of agents and specifics of operations, with Iran as early as January 2012.
In a charging document, investigators say the 39-year-old was deployed by the US to locations in the Middle East to conduct classified counterintelligence operations.
Prosecutors allege that shortly after defecting to Iran, she handed over information on her colleagues in order to cause "serious damage" to the United States.
According to officials, she sent a message to her Iranian contact in 2012 saying: "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."
Investigators allege Ms Witt was recruited after attending two conferences hosted by New Horizon Organization, which was working on behalf of the Iranian National Guard's Quds Force to collect intelligence on attendees.
Several conferences sponsored by the New Horizon Organization have taken place in Iran and Iraq in recent years, according to US officials.
The conferences often included an "anti-Western" sentiment and "propagate anti-Semitism and conspiracy theories including Holocaust denial".
At least one of those New Horizon conferences was organised by Iranian-American journalist Marzieh Hashemi, who was detained by US officials in January as a material witness in a federal criminal case, according to the Tehran Times.
The Department of Treasury accuses Net Peygard Samavat Company of being "involved in a malicious cyber campaign to gain access to and implant malware on the computer systems of current and former counterintelligence agents".
Monica Witt was last heard from while travelling in southwest Asia.Who is Monica Witt? Monica Elfriede Witt, a former Texas resident, left the US military in 2008 after more than a decade of service.
A previously issued FBI missing persons poster said she was working as an English teacher in either Afghanistan or Tajikistan, and had lived overseas for more than a year before vanishing.
While in Iran, she also allegedly converted to Islam during a television segment after identifying herself as a US veteran, and delivered several broadcasts in which she criticised the US.
In the weeks after defecting, she also conducted several Facebook searches of her former colleagues, and is alleged to have exposed one agent's true identity, "thereby risking the life of this individual".
A warrant has been issued for Ms Witt, who remains at large.
What's the state of US-Iran relations?Last November, US President Donald Trump re-imposed all sanctions on Iran that had been suspended due to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement.
Mr Trump has withdrawn the US from the agreement, leading to a foreign policy rift between the US and the European nations who are party to the deal.
Diplomats are expected to discuss Iran during a US-led two day summit on "peace and security" that began on Wednesday in Warsaw.
On the conference's opening day, Mr Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani gave a speech in which he called for regime change in Iran.
The US and Iran do not maintain diplomatic relations, and communications between the two nations are exchanged through Swiss diplomats.
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Monica Witt: Who is the woman at the centre of the spying case?BBC
https://www.bbc.com/
US prosecutors have accused a former US Air Force officer of spying for Iran in an elaborate operation that targeted her fellow intelligence officers.
But who is Monica Witt?Details of her upbringing are unclear, but a previously issued FBI missing persons poster says that she was born on 8 April 1979 in El Paso, Texas.
According a curriculum vitae posted on jobs website Indeed, Ms Witt joined the Air Force in December 1997. Stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, she worked as a Persian-Farsi language specialist.
She later served as a Special Agent at the Air Force's Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) from November 2003, based at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. On its website, the AFOSI says its mission is to "identify, exploit and neutralize criminal, terrorist and intelligence threats to the Air Force, Department of Defense and U.S. Government".
According to the indictment, Ms Witt was privy to classified information that could identify US intelligence officers and their sources.
A spokesperson for the US Air Force told the BBC she was discharged in June 2008 with the rank of Technical Sergeant. She received numerous decorations including the Air Medal, awarded for "single acts of heroism or meritorious achievements".
Ms Witt left the US military in May 2008. For the next seven months, she worked as a contractor with Booz Allen Hamilton in Maryland, consulting on "Iranian subject matter" and providing "language and cultural specialisation".
From November 2008 to August 2010, she worked as a Middle East Desk Officer at another contractor, Chenega Federal Systems, in Virginia. During this role Ms Witt says she "supervised, controlled, and co-ordinated the execution of highly sensitive counterintelligence operations against foreign intelligence services worldwide".
Later, from December 2010 to May 2011, Ms Witt worked in Washington with Amidest. During her time with the non-profit group, she "submitted applications for 60 Iraqi Fulbright candidates to multiple US universities".
'Injustice to Muslims'According to her CV, she holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, a master's from George Washington University, and a qualification in Persian-Farsi from the Defense Language Institute.
George Washington University's International Affairs Review published two articles by Ms Witt in 2012. In one, she criticised the US for calling on Iran's neighbours to sever relations with Tehran.
"In enacting a policy of severe sanctions against Iran, the US should address the potential affects (sic) on other countries and not inadvertently alienate friends by making them choose between Iran and the US" wrote Ms Witt.
According to her online CV, she lived and worked within countries including Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Turkey, the UAE, Tajikistan and Iran.
After this, details of her activities and whereabouts are unclear.
In an undated missing persons declaration the FBI says MS Witt worked as an English teacher in either Afghanistan or Tajikistan and had been out of contact since 2013.
According to her indictment, in early 2012 Ms Witt converted to Islam during a ceremony broadcast on Iranian television. In several other television appearances, she allegedly identified herself as a US veteran and made statements critical of the US government.
State-run Press TV also published an article by Ms Witt, in which she attacked "a prevailing culture of tolerance for sexual harassment" within the US armed forces.
Monica Witt was last heard from while travelling in south-west AsiaIn February 2012, Ms Witt allegedly went to a "Hollywoodism" conference in Iran organised by the New Horizon Organization. The Justice Department says the event seeks to promote "anti-American propaganda".
A few months later, the FBI warned her that she was targeted for recruitment by Iranian intelligence services.
The following year, Ms Witt was quoted in an article by the International Quran News Agency where she discussed her conversion to Islam and American "injustice to its Muslim population".
"As someone who served in the US army for years, I expected that after embracing Islam, my right to choose a religion and my beliefs would be respected," she said.
"However, a US army member becoming Muslim was not something they could stand. They are afraid of such individuals."
In summer 2013, Ms Witt had an "ideological" turn, the indictment says, and tried defecting to Iran through its embassy in Kabul.
She later moved Iran and allegedly disclosed highly classified information to Iranian officials. The information included details of her former colleagues and their informants.
A warrant has been issued for Ms Witt, who remains at large.
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Former US counterintelligence agent allegedly spied on colleagues
to help out Iran, indictment revealsFOX News
https://www.foxnews.com/Counter-intelligence agent exposed Pentagon 'crown jewels' before defecting to Iran
According to a new indictment, Monica Elfriede Witt, an ex-counterintelligence agent who defected to Iran in 2013, is responsible for helping to target 'her former fellow agents' and expose a program that is considered one of the 'crown jewels' of the U.S. Defense Department. Witt is still at large but was last believed to be in either Afghanistan or Tajikistan in July 2013 working as an English teacher.
An ex-counterintelligence agent who defected to Iran in 2013 helped the Islamic Republic in "targeting her former fellow agents" and exposed a Defense Department program considered one of the crown jewels of U.S. intelligence, according to an explosive indictment unsealed Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
An arrest warrant is now out for Monica Elfriede Witt, the 39-year-old former agent named in the grand jury indictment. The Justice Department says the Iranian government supplied her with housing and computer equipment so she could “disclose U.S. classified information” and conduct research on “personnel that she had known and worked with” during her time in the American intelligence community.
“The alleged actions of Monica Witt in assisting a hostile nation are a betrayal of our nation’s security, our military, and the American people,” said Special Agent Terry Phillips of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. “While violations like this are extremely rare, her actions as alleged are an affront to all who have served our great nation.”
Witt, who is from Texas, entered duty with the U.S. Air Force in 1997 and worked as an Air Force Intelligence Specialist and Special Agent of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. She separated from the military in 2008 and ended work as a Defense Department contractor in 2010.
Iranian Revolutionary Guard members arrive for a ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran, on Monday. Four Iranians dubbed the "Cyber Conspirators" by the Justice Department, are accused of working on behalf of the military unit to 'deploy malware that would provide them covert access to the targets’ computers and networks.'During her time working with the U.S. government, Witt, the Justice Department says, was “granted high-level security clearances and was deployed overseas to conduct classified counterintelligence missions.” She earned the Air Force Commendation Medal three times, an award the branch says is for those who have "distinguished themselves by meritorious achievement and service."
But the indictment alleges that in February 2012, Witt traveled to Iran to attend a conference sponsored by the regime-linked Revolutionary Guard Corps focusing on topics such as the condemnation of American moral standards and anti-U.S. propaganda. She then, investigators say, got in contact with a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen and brokered her future long-term stay in the Islamic Republic. Her whereabouts as of Wednesday are not clear.
The indictment also charges four Iranian nationals: Mojtaba Masoumpour, Behzad Mesri, Hossein Parvar and Mohamad Paryar with conspiracy and 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 Justice Department says. Arrest warrants also are out for them.
American investigators allege the Iranians used “fictional and imposter social media accounts” aimed at deploying malware that would give them cover access to their targets’ computers and networks. The accounts tried to trick victims into clicking on links or opening up files that would then allow the Iranians to infect their computers.
Monica Elfriede Witt in 2012. The FBI says she was 'last known to be traveling and working in Southwest Asia'. (FBI)“In one such instance, the Cyber Conspirators,” as the four Iranians are called, “created a Facebook account that purported to belong to a [intelligence community] employee and former colleague of Witt, and which utilized legitimate information and photos from the USIC employee’s actual Facebook account,” the Justice Department said.
“This particular fake account caused several of Witt’s former colleagues to accept ‘friend’ requests,” it added.
FBI officials say Witt's primary motive was ideological, and the indictment also alleges that when Witt defected to Iran she said she was "going home."
The Justice Department said Wednesday that it took years of investigative work by the FBI to expose what they believe she really was up to.
“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,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said following the unsealing of the indictment.
A Missing Persons entry that had been up on the FBI’s website said Witt “was last believed to be in either Afghanistan or Tajikistan in July 2013, where she was working as an English teacher.
“Witt may have also traveled to the United Arab Emirates or Iran, where she had previously traveled on at least two other occasions,” the entry adds, noting her friends reported her missing years ago after not hearing from her in months.
VideoEx-counterintelligence agent charged with espionage on behalf of Iranhttps://youtu.be/rCOEZ1bpyQ4Former Air Force Intelligence agent charged with spying for Iranhttps://youtu.be/A2E869VVjQwFormer Air Force counterintelligence specialist charged with spyinghttps://youtu.be/RMnoPSq74q4LIVE: Marzieh Hashemi talks to Press TV after released from U.S. jailhttps://youtu.be/epJexeRK2b4LIVE: Press TV anchor Marzieh Hashemi speaks at press conference in Tehranhttps://youtu.be/u2AyQV297kM
