Ex-CIA Official David J. Rush Pleads Guilty in $40 Million Gold Bars Fraud Case

David J. Rush, a former senior official at the Central Intelligence Agency, entered a guilty plea on Tuesday in Virginia to a charge of abusing his government position and public funds for personal enrichment. According to court records, Rush acquired hundreds of gold bars valued at more than US$40 million, along with luxury real estate in south Florida that he planned to resell at a profit. To justify the property purchases, he fabricated a "highly classified" government programme, a court filing states. Separately, he invented a bogus "sensitive government activity" as cover for obtaining the gold bars. The Justice Department said his fraudulent conduct resulted in total federal losses of approximately US$194 million. The plea was entered in Virginia, where the case was filed. Rush had served in a senior role at the CIA before the scheme. The case is among the larger financial fraud prosecutions involving a former intelligence official in recent US history.