David Rush, a former CIA officer arrested after authorities found hundreds of gold bars in his home, has admitted to defrauding the US government in a sprawling $200m (£151m) scam. As part of the plea deal, Rush is required to pay restitution to the government and forfeit luxury real estate, cars, watches and other assets tied to the crime.
Rush also confessed to providing secrets to a foreign government, which prosecutors said could have caused "grave damage" to national security. Court filings around the deal revealed that Rush disclosed the existence and description of a "clandestine human source" to a foreign official.
"The disclosure of such information could endanger the safety and life of the human source and the US government officers working with the source and jeopardize the US government's ability to recruit human sources, who rely on the US government's assurances of absolute secrecy," prosecutors said in the filing.
Rush was initially charged with theft of public funds but pleaded guilty to wire fraud. At the time of his arrest, a raid on his home uncovered 298 gold bars he had received for "work-related expenses". FBI investigators said that between November 2025 and March 2026, Rush made repeated requests for "a significant quantity of foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bars".
"Rush fabricated a highly classified program to justify the acquisition of luxury real estate in South Florida, which he then intended to resell for personal profit," the court filing stated.
In a news release, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Rush "abused his position and betrayed the public trust and should be held fully accountable for his actions". The BBC contacted Rush's lawyer, who declined to comment.