A former Central Intelligence Agency officer has admitted to stealing nearly $200 million through a fabricated top secret government program, the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed Tuesday. David J. Rush, a Virginia resident, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud for running the fake operation and defrauding the government while employed at the CIA. Prosecutors said Rush lied about his education and military experience to obtain his CIA position.
According to prosecutors, Rush used his employee access to create the highly compartmentalized program with the intent of directing U.S. government funds into his own possession. When he was arrested, law enforcement discovered more than $46 million in gold bars at his house tied to the long-running scheme, along with cars, watches, and over $2 million in cash. The plea deal allows Rush to avoid trial, sparing the U.S. government from having to explain in open court how he passed vetting to join the intelligence agency and how his actions went undetected for more than a year.
Rush was until recently a senior CIA officer who, according to earlier reports, had worked since 2010 for a division that develops hacking tools and techniques for espionage. Court filings stated that he held significant authority over government intelligence programs and spending. Over the course of 2025, he used that position to fabricate a so-called special access program, which are surveillance or intelligence-gathering operations so sensitive that only a few people are read into them. Special access programs require clearances that even the most cleared individuals in government are not granted.
The Washington Post reported that Rush built the compartmentalized program under the guise of a fake continuity of government plan, intended to keep the government functioning after war, natural disaster, or another destructive catastrophe. As part of the scheme, he used the program and a fake government contract to trick an unnamed defense contractor into purchasing large amounts of gold, which Rush then pocketed. The Post reported that the case astounded officials because Rush's CIA duties involved work with one of the government's most sensitive intelligence-gathering programs, with details so sensitive that only a few senior U.S. intelligence officials and lawmakers know of its existence. The Post withheld details of that program because disclosure could jeopardize ongoing intelligence-gathering operations.
Court filings said Rush effectively acted as his own approving official by virtue of his position, which allowed him to spend substantial amounts of U.S. government money without meaningful scrutiny. He is scheduled to be sentenced in late January 2027 and faces up to 20 years in prison.
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