Ex-CIA Officer Pleads Guilty to $190 Million Gold Fraud Scheme

A former Central Intelligence Agency officer, David J. Rush, has pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud after siphoning more than $190 million from the federal government through an intelligence program he invented, the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed on October 6, according to TechCrunch.

Prosecutors said Rush, who lives in Virginia, misrepresented his schooling and military record to get hired at the agency, then used his authority to establish a fictitious special access program during 2025. Court filings cited by TechCrunch said his seniority let him approve his own spending without outside review.

The scheme leaned on a fabricated contract tied to a purported continuity-of-government plan, which Rush used to get an unnamed defense contractor to purchase large quantities of gold that he kept, The Washington Post reported. Agents who arrested him recovered gold bars worth over $46 million at his home, plus vehicles, timepieces and more than $2 million in currency.

The guilty plea avoids a trial. Sentencing is set for late January 2027, with a maximum term of 20 years.

This story was first reported by TechCrunch.