Italian national pleads guilty to charges relating to a gate-crashing event at CIA Headquarters

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - An Italian national pled guilty yesterday to disregarding a signal from a law enforcement officer to stop and driving under the influence of alcohol.

According to court records, on May 22, 2025, at approximately 3:38 a.m., Monia Spadaro, 28, drove into the restricted CIA Headquarters installation via the outbound traffic lane. When a CIA Police officer attempted to pull her over in a marked CIA Police vehicle with activated emergency lights, Spadaro failed to stop her vehicle and continued toward the main security gate. Spadaro made several reckless maneuvers, including changing lanes from outbound to inbound and back. An additional marked CIA Police vehicle stationed at the security gate also activated emergency lights and pursued.

Spadaro disregarded all attempts to stop her and increased her speed toward the main security gate, including driving towards a CIA Police officer standing on foot, who fired shots to protect himself and to prevent Spadaro from running the gate.

Spadaro's blood alcohol content was over double the legal limit. Spadaro was convicted in Virginia in 2021 for driving while under the influence of alcohol and in 2022 for reckless driving, and in Washington, D.C., in 2023 for driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Spadaro faces up to five years in prison when sentenced on Aug. 13. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

CIA Police and the FBI Washington Field Office investigated this case.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Etchart and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Robeson are prosecuting the case.

Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District CourtLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-173.