A former CIA officer has pleaded guilty to “executing a scheme to defraud the federal government relating to the misuse of his government position, resulting in a loss of approximately $194 million,” the Justice Department announced.

The scheme included the “fraudulent acquisition of tens of millions of dollars in gold bars and luxury properties in Florida,” the announcement read.

“Federal employees are entrusted with serving the American people, not themselves,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“The Trump Administration is committed to rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government, including by prosecuting those who foolishly defraud American taxpayers,” he added.

“Following an internal investigation that identified potential crimes, CIA immediately referred this matter to the FBI,” said CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

“David Rush abused his position and betrayed the public trust and should be held fully accountable for his actions. We appreciate our law enforcement partners in the FBI and Department of Justice for securing this outcome. The Agency is committed to ensuring that those entrusted with our Nation’s secrets are held to the absolute highest standard,” he added.

CIA officer caught stealing millions in gold bars pleads guilty to colossal wire fraud scheme https://t.co/mdyfDJnr0Z pic.twitter.com/i5GM2c8T8K

— New York Post (@nypost) October 6, 2026

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To reach the upper echelons of the CIA and secure top-secret clearances, Rush fabricated extensive credentials.

On official job applications, he claimed to be a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and the director of test operations for a joint Army/Navy unit.

In reality, Rush was never a pilot, held no FAA licenses, and served primarily as an information systems technician during his time in the Navy.

Once positioned in senior leadership, Rush executed a massive siphon of taxpayer dollars. He created fictitious government entities and fake initiatives — including a phony “Special Access Program” — to redirect federal funds into his own accounts, ultimately stealing $194 million, according to the Justice Department.

Rush funneled $145 million into wire transfers to fund an extravagant lifestyle. He purchased high-end real estate, luxury vehicles, and massive quantities of physical gold.

“By his own admission, David Rush defrauded the government of hundreds of millions of dollars, and then misused those funds for extravagant purchases,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.

“Rush betrayed his oath, his co-workers, and the American people and he will now face justice for his actions. This plea demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to protecting the public’s trust; and that no government position, security clearance, or access to government resources places anyone above the law,” he continued.

“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,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. 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. Thankfully, the efforts of the Department of Justice, its partners in law enforcement, and the Intelligence Community exposed Rush’s crimes. Today’s plea marks an important step in bringing Rush to justice,” he added.

More from The New York Times:

Mr. Rush, a 49-year-old former intelligence officer, was arrested in May after investigators found roughly 300 gold bars stashed in the basement of his Virginia home. U.S. officials have previously said he created a fake classified program — one that only a few people were permitted to know about — that allowed him to accumulate the bars, worth more than $40 million.

In court on Tuesday, a federal prosecutor, Kevin Hakala, described far more sweeping and potentially consequential crimes beyond the gold bar scam. In all, the schemes totaled more than $193 million in fraud.

In October 2025, Mr. Rush used his “position of trust” as a senior C.I.A. officer to create a fake secret government program to purchase roughly $145 million worth of “luxury real estate in South Florida,” Mr. Hakala said. All the luxury properties were in the Palm Beach area, according to court papers.

The funds for the purchases were transferred to a holding company by a government contractor who expected to be reimbursed, officials said. Mr. Rush planned to also have expensive renovations done on the properties so they could be resold for profit, the prosecutor said.

Separately, in 2025, Mr. Rush knowingly disclosed “certain descriptive information of a U.S. government clandestine human source” to a “foreign government official,” Mr. Hakala told Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Prosecutors did not explain further, and a portion of Mr. Rush’s guilty plea was conducted under seal. Court papers, however, say that on April 28, during an interview conducted by the C.I.A., Mr. Rush admitted to disclosing the information to a foreign official.

Mr. Rush also orchestrated a scheme in which he arranged to take roughly $1.8 million in private charter flights, paid for by the government, that had no legitimate purpose, prosecutors said.

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