A former senior CIA official entered a guilty plea in Virginia on Tuesday to charges that he exploited his position and government funds to amass Florida real estate and hundreds of gold bars valued at over $40 million. Court records show that 49-year-old David J. Rush of Ashburn, Virginia, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, an offense carrying a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff scheduled his sentencing for January 28 in Alexandria, Virginia. According to court filings, Rush fabricated a highly classified government program to justify buying luxury properties in south Florida with the intent of reselling them for personal gain. He separately invented a bogus sensitive government activity to acquire the gold bars. Prosecutors stated that Rush’s fraudulent actions caused total federal losses of approximately $194 million, which included more than $1.8 million spent on privately chartered flights for his personal use. During questioning, Rush admitted to giving a foreign government official details regarding the identity of a secret U.S. source, though court documents do not specify the country involved. Prosecutors also asserted that Rush lied to colleagues and contractors about his military and academic background, falsely claiming he was a Navy pilot and a graduate of Clemson University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Investigators found he actually enlisted in 1997 and was honorably discharged from the Navy Reserve as a lieutenant in 2015 without attending those schools. Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized that federal employees are entrusted to serve the public rather than themselves. CIA Director John Ratcliffe noted that the agency promptly referred the case to the FBI following an internal investigation. Law enforcement agents previously seized roughly 300 gold bars, about $2 million in cash, and 35 luxury watches during a search of Rush’s home. Defense attorney Jessica Carmichael declined to comment on the guilty plea following Tuesday’s court proceeding.
Source: npr.org
