When the FBI raided the Virginia home of ex-CIA official David Rush in May, agents found nearly 300 gold bars, each weighing a kilogram; 35 luxury watches; €104,795; and roughly $2 million in U.S. currency.
This apparently stolen treasure was only the tip of the iceberg.
‘His self-serving actions threatened to erode public confidence in the intelligence services.’
Rush pleaded guilty on Tuesday to using his senior executive-level position within the CIA to create fake classified programs so that he could divert and fraudulently obtain roughly $193,590,400 in taxpayer funds.
“By his own admission, David Rush defrauded the government of hundreds of millions of dollars, and then misused those funds for extravagant purchases,” stated FBI Director Kash Patel. “Rush betrayed his oath, his co-workers, and the American people, and he will now face justice for his actions.”
According to a statement of facts dated Tuesday and signed by Rush, Rush secured a senior role at a federal agency on the basis of false claims about his military background and education.
Sources previously told the New York Times that Rush worked for the CIA, and Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed on Tuesday that it was the spy agency that had referred the matter to the FBI following an internal investigation identifying potential crimes.
Contrary to what he told CIA colleagues and contractors, Rush never served as a pilot in the U.S. military, and he held neither a bachelor’s degree from a large public research university based in South Carolina nor a doctoral degree from a private research university in New York, the DOJ said.
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L-R: Matt Jelonek/Bloomberg/Getty Images; Alexandria Sheriff’s Office
The federal position that Rush occupied on account of such misrepresentations provided him with the authority to approve multimillion-dollar expenditures for various programs.
Rush admitted to creating a “highly classified program to justify the acquisition of luxury real estate, which he then intended to resell for personal profit,” according to the statement of facts. Since access to his fake program was restricted to “specifically authorized individuals with the appropriate security clearance and need to know,” Rush was for a time able to operate in the shadows.
He also created “separate purported sensitive government activity” to justify the acquisition of hundreds of gold bars.
The affidavit originally filed in support of a criminal complaint and arrest warrant for Rush stated that FBI agents seized “approximately 303 gold bars” from his residence. That number has been adjusted to 298 gold bars.
Neither the Department of Justice nor the CIA immediately responded to Blaze News’ requests for comment.
“Although the real estate and gold acquisitions involved different transactions and intermediaries, they were executions of the same overarching scheme — RUSH created false classified authorities, directed and approved the associated expenditures, caused contractors and subcontractors to carry out the transactions, and thereafter exercised possession or control over the acquired assets,” said the document.
Rush didn’t just acquire gold bars and the luxury residential properties in Palm Beach and Hobe Sound, Florida, at America’s expense. Prosecutors noted in court documents that over $38.65 million was seized from the bank account linked to the holding company that Rush created as part of his scheme, and over $2.1 million in American cash was seized from his house.
Per the terms of his plea agreement, Rush has agreed to forfeit the gold bars, the cash found at his home, the luxury residential properties he fraudulently obtained in Palm Beach and Hobe Sound, two 2026 BMW Alpina vehicles — at least one of which is valued at around $172,000 — and at least 30 luxury watches, including a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller 4000.
“Our Intelligence Community must have the trust of the American people to operate effectively in a Nation committed to transparency and the rule of law,” stated Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg. “Rush repeatedly betrayed that trust. He defrauded the United States out of approximately $194 million in real estate, jewelry, and other valuable property, including 298 gold bars. Worse, his self-serving actions threatened to erode public confidence in the intelligence services that must strive in secret to keep America safe.”
Rush, who pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud, is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 28, 2027. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.
While Rush has pleaded guilty, the DOJ noted that its investigation is continuing and that Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton has asked for the intelligence community’s inspector general to launch a separate investigation.
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Central intelligence agency, Spy, Gold, Justice department, Fbi, Kash patel, Todd blanche, Virginia, Top secret, Politics
