Man Who Took Uber To CIA HQ Charged With Trespassing

MCLEAN, VA — An Uber passenger who flew from Puerto Rico to Virginia was arrested early Monday morning after he tried to gain entry to CIA headquarters in McLean, according to court documents.

Just before 2 a.m., a uniformed officer with the CIA police sitting in a police car outside the George Bush Center for Intelligence was notified that a vehicle had stopped at the gate arm seeking entrance to the CIA Headquarters’ Visitor Control Center, according to court records.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as an Uber driver taking a passenger who wanted to enter CIA headquarters, according to an affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint

After parking his car behind the Uber driver's vehicle, the officer saw a man get out from the rear passenger side door, carrying a backpack and duffle bag, according to the affidavit. The officer told him to stop and the man complied.

When asked if he was a CIA employee or had a CIA badge, the man said, "No." When asked why he'd come to CIA headquarters, the man said he'd flown from Puerto Rico to Virginia in order to help the CIA, according to the affidavit.

Based on the passenger's Puerto Rican driver's license, the officer identified him as Ismael Ponce Porfil, court documents said. A records check confirmed Porfil had not previously tried to enter CIA headquarters in Virginia.

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However, it was later learned that Porfil had attempted to enter another agency installation in 2023 and was warned not to return to the CIA, according to the affidavit. Porfil's name had been misspelled in the earlier record, so the officer was unaware of the earlier visit and warning.

The officer told Porfil he wasn't authorized to be there and that he needed to leave. If he didn't leave, he'd be issued a criminal citation and arrested, according to the affidavit. In response, Porfil held out his hands, indicating that he wanted to be handcuffed for arrest.

Porfil was arrested and charged with trespassing on an agency installation and failing to obey an order to leave an agency installation, according to the affidavit.

The Uber driver was allowed to leave.

On Monday afternoon, Porfil had an initial appearance in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria and assigned a Spanish interpreter, according to court records. On Tuesday, he was appointed a federal public defender. A status conference was scheduled for 10 a.m. on Jan. 22, 2026.