A former Air Force intelligence specialist who defected to Iran has been charged with conspiring to provide U.S. defense information to representatives of that country’s government, including the code name and mission of a highly classified program, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
Monica Elfriede Witt, 39, a former counterintelligence officer, is accused of revealing the Defense Department program, the details of which are unclear, as well as helping Iranian intelligence services direct hacking and identity theft attempts at her military co-workers. She defected to Iran in 2013 and is believed to be abroad.
The Justice Department also charged four Iranian nationals with attempting to commit computer intrusion and aggravated identity theft in the case.
The announcement came just as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence prepared to welcome representatives from about 60 countries for in Poland that was originally billed as a conference to pressure Iran on its missile testing and terrorism. The event, though, has received a tepid response abroad, as some objected to the its anti-Iran focus.