Former CIA official accused of stealing $40M in gold bars pleads guilty

Former CIA official David J. Rush pleaded guilty on October 6, 2026, to one count of wire fraud in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. Rush admitted to orchestrating a scheme that defrauded the U.S. government of approximately $195 million through the creation of fictitious classified operations. These operations were used to justify the acquisition of luxury real estate in Florida and hundreds of gold bars, valued between $40 million and $46 million, for his personal benefit.

In addition to the financial fraud, Rush confessed to disclosing the existence of a clandestine human source to an official of an unnamed foreign government. Prosecutors revealed this detail during the partially sealed court hearing. Rush, who also allegedly falsified his academic and military credentials and fraudulently claimed military leave pay, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on January 28.