Former CIA official accused of stealing millions in gold bars pleads guilty

David J Rush fabricated a “highly classified” government program to justify the acquisition of luxury property in south Florida that he intended to resell for personal profit, according to a court filing.

Rush separately concocted a bogus “sensitive government activity” to obtain the gold bars, the filing says.

Rush’s fraudulent conduct cost the federal government approximately 194 million dollars (£146 million) in total losses, according to the Justice Department.

The losses included over 1.8 million dollars in privately chartered flights that Rush authorised for personal use at the government’s expense.

Under questioning from investigators, Rush admitted that he provided a foreign government official with information about the identity of a secret source for the US government, a new court filing says. The filing doesn’t specify which country the foreign official represented.

Prosecutors also accuse Rush of lying to colleagues and government contractors about his military and academic credentials and the fake program that he invented, falsely claiming it was authorised by high-ranking US officials.

“Rush used his legitimate government authority and manufactured personal bona fides to create confidence in his directions,” the court filing says.

Rush, 49, of Ashburn, Virginia, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, court records show.

District Judge Michael Nachmanoff is scheduled to sentence him on January 28 in Alexandria, Virginia.

Several months ago, Rush tried to fraudulently authorise the release of 100 million dollars from a government contract, according to Tuesday’s filing.

He directed somebody else to transfer approximately 145 million dollars to a holding company formed at his direction, then used those funds to acquire four “luxury” properties in Palm Beach and Hobe Sound, Florida, the filing says.

In previous court filings, prosecutors said Rush stashed roughly 46 million dollars worth of gold bars from the federal government at his Virginia home.

They also accused him of fraudulently claiming tens of thousands of dollars in compensation for military leave after he was honourably discharged from the US Navy in 2015.

Attorney general Todd Blanche said in a statement: “Federal employees are entrusted with serving the American people, not themselves.”

CIA director John Ratcliffe said the agency immediately referred the matter to the FBI after an internal investigation turned up evidence of Rush’s crimes.

“David Rush abused his position and betrayed the public trust and should be held fully accountable for his actions,” Mr Ratcliffe said in a statement.

Rush was arrested after investigators searched his home and seized approximately 300 gold bars, roughly 2 million dollars in US currency and about 35 luxury watches, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit.

A judge ordered Rush to be held without bond after his initial court appearance earlier this year.

During a hearing in June, defence attorney Jessica Carmichael said Rush wasn’t charged initially with any crimes related to the discovery of the gold bars, which she referred to as “basically a nonissue” and “nothing more than a sensational tidbit”.

She said her client properly obtained the gold bars and kept them locked in a safe in his basement.

“Mr Rush never claimed they were his,” Ms Carmichael said.

Ms Carmichael declined to comment on Rush’s guilty plea after Tuesday’s hearing.

Authorities say Rush lied about his education and military background on job applications, falsely claiming to be a former Navy pilot who graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Clemson University in South Carolina and a master’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York.

Investigators determined that he didn’t serve as a Navy pilot and didn’t attend either school.

Rush enlisted in the Navy in 1997 and was honourably discharged from the US Navy Reserve as a lieutenant in 2015, according to the FBI affidavit.