A former high-level CIA official has admitted to bilking the government out of nearly $194 million, including 600 pounds in gold bars and other funds splurged on fancy cars, luxury homes and jewelry.
David J. Rush of Ashburn, Virginia, pleaded guilty Tuesday to wire fraud, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
“By his own admission, David Rush defrauded the government of hundreds of millions of dollars, and then misused those funds for extravagant purchases,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a news release. “Rush betrayed his oath, his co-workers, and the American people and he will now face justice for his actions.”
Rush was arrested in May after federal agents found a stockpile of 2.2-pound gold bars in his Virginia home worth more than $40 million.
Court documents say Rush, 49, held a senior executive-level position with a federal agency in which he held top secret security clearance with access to classified information. NBC reported that Rush worked as a high-ranking officer for the Central Intelligence Agency's Directorate of Science and Technology, serving as a liaison to the Defense Department for sensitive military programs.
According to the justice department, Jay Clayton, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, has asked the Intelligence Community's inspector general to launch an investigation into how Rush was able to deceive the country's top spy agency for so long.
Rush got his high-level access in part by misrepresenting his academic and military experience, the court documents said, even taking $77,000 worth of military leave after lying about being an active member of the Navy Reserve.
He then exploited his position to create fake government entities – including a fictitious program requiring high security clearance, designed to protect classified information – to request gold bars and federal funds that he used to buy high-end real estate, luxury watches and at least one car, the documents said.
According to an affidavit filed by FBI special agent Matthew Johnson, between November 2025 and March 2026, Rush asked for and was given "a significant quantity of foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bars" for unspecified work-related expenses.
An ensuing inspection of the government storage space in which the bars and money were supposed to be stored showed most of it was missing, the affidavit said.
In all, federal authorities say Rush's chicanery cost the government more than $193.6 million in losses.
The FBI search of Rush’s home turned up 298 gold bars, more than $2.1 million in cash, several dozen Rolexes and other luxury watches and about $105,000 in euros, the documents said.
CNN reported that Rush directed the transfer of $145 million to a holding company formed under his direction, then used the funds to buy four pricey properties in South Florida.
In a plea agreement, Rush agreed to forfeit the gold bars and currency in addition to the fraudulently acquired properties, 30 watches and two 2026 BMW Alpinas, one of which the justice department valued at $172,000.
Rush is set to be sentenced on Jan. 28, 2027. He faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, restitution and fines.
“The United States entrusted David Rush with the resources to protect our nation and its people, and for sheer avarice he chose to betray that trust for personal enrichment,” said Theophani K. Stamos, first assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “He robbed his country, not just of its treasury, but also of its faith.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gold bars, fancy cars: Former CIA op pleads guilty in $194M fraud scheme
