Former CIA Officer's Plea Hearing Scheduled After Gold Bar Discovery
A federal court has set a Tuesday hearing for a plea agreement in the case of former CIA employee David Rush, who was found with 303 gold bars valued at about $40 million.
A federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, has scheduled a plea-agreement hearing for former CIA officer David Rush on Tuesday. Rush was arrested after investigators discovered 303 gold bars, estimated at $40 million, at his residence.
According to court filings, Rush faces a single count of theft of public funds for allegedly falsifying pay records, though sources familiar with the investigation say he is also accused of fabricating a non-existent CIA program. Officials believe additional assets or funds may still be unaccounted for.
Rush was placed on administrative leave before his arrest and later terminated from the agency. He remains in custody and has not yet entered a plea; his attorney declined to comment. Prosecutors and defense attorneys have asked for more time to negotiate a deal, which would spare the government a lengthy trial and limit exposure of CIA operational details.
The case has drawn attention to Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, who previously worked with Rush on classified maritime projects. A Pentagon spokesperson said Feinberg did not have a close relationship with Rush, and the FBI confirmed that Feinberg is not under investigation and there is no evidence he knew of any alleged falsifications. Several senior CIA officials were placed on leave pending review of Rush’s financial requests.