Crime & Justice
Former CIA official reaches plea deal over $40 million in gold bars
September 13, 2026 at 07:54 AM
A former CIA official found with $40 million in gold bars at his home has reached a preliminary plea agreement on charges of stealing public funds through salary fraud.
- Federal prosecutors and attorneys for former CIA officer David J. Rush have reached an initial plea agreement; a judge extended the indictment deadline to October 8 to finalize the deal.
- Rush was charged in May with falsely claiming 744 hours of military leave after his 2015 honorable Navy discharge and inflating his salary with fraudulent academic credentials.
- Investigators seized about 300 gold bars worth over $40 million, roughly $2 million in cash, and 35 luxury watches from Rush's home.
- The FBI affidavit stated Rush obtained the bars from the US government for work-related expenses, while a Justice Department attorney said he was not authorized to possess them.