David Rush CIA gold theft guilty plea
A former senior CIA officer, David Rush, pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of gold bars and to a broader fraud scheme. Prosecutors had earlier reached a tentative plea agreement with Rush, who was accused of taking gold bars worth tens of millions of dollars from the agency and hiding them in his basement. News reports cited scam totals ranging from more than $40 million to as much as $200 million.
Last known state
Former CIA officer David Rush has pleaded guilty to a fraud scheme that included stealing hundreds of gold bars and acquiring real estate; reported losses range from more than $40 million to as much as $200 million. According to one report, he also confessed to providing secrets to a foreign government and revealing the existence of a clandestine human source.
4 sources · 4 reports · Last updated 7 Oct 2026
Latest development
New reporting lowered the cited lower bound of Rush's fraud losses from about $145 million to more than $40 million and added real-estate acquisitions to the guilty-plea scheme.
Developments
- Key development
At an October 2026 plea hearing, Rush pleaded guilty to a fraud scheme involving gold bars and real estate; reports cite total losses from more than $40 million to as much as $200 million.
- Key development
Rush also confessed to providing secrets to a foreign government and revealing the existence of a clandestine human source, prosecutors said.
- Earlier development
Rush was fired from the CIA after the FBI found 303 gold bars in his Virginia home, and officials said he created a fake classified program to funnel himself millions of dollars.
- Earlier development
In September 2026, Rush and federal prosecutors reached a tentative 'plea agreement in principle' in the gold-bar case, though the filing did not specify the charges.
Earlier coverage
- Ex-CIA official pleads guilty to stealing gold bars as part of elaborate scam A former senior CIA official has pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of gold bars and acquiring real estate in a scam worth more than $40m (£30.2m).
- Ex-C.I.A. Officer Who Stashed Gold Bars Admits to Far Larger $145 Million Scam A plea hearing revealed a far larger pattern of fraud against the government, while keeping some key secrets still hidden.
- Ex-CIA officer accused of stealing gold bars reaches tentative plea deal David Rush accused of stealing hundreds of gold bars worth over $40m and hiding them in his basement Federal prosecutors have reached a tentative plea agreement with a former CIA officer accused of stealing hundreds of gold bars worth more than $40m from the US spy agency and hiding them in his basement, court records show. David Rush and federal justice department prosecutors have a “plea agreement in principle”, t…