Former CIA Official Pleads Guilty in $194 Million Fraud Case

David Rush pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Virginia to one count of wire fraud in a case involving nearly $194 million in government funds that prosecutors say he diverted for personal use. The former CIA official is scheduled to be sentenced on January 28, 2027, according to court records. The Justice Department and court filings describe a scheme in which Rush misused his position to obtain approximately $193.6 million. Prosecutors say he directed about $145 million in transfers through a holding company and used the money to acquire four luxury properties in Florida. They also say he obtained gold bars at a cost of approximately $46 million to the government. The amounts and account of the scheme come from prosecutors and court filings. An FBI search of Rush’s Virginia home in May recovered gold bars, about $2 million in cash and dozens of luxury watches, according to court documents. Reports give differing totals for the bars, ranging from 298 to 303, and the records described in the accounts do not reconcile the count.