Former CIA employee reaches plea agreement after $40 million gold seizure
A judge gave prosecutors more time to finalize a plea deal with ex-CIA official David J. Rush, who faces theft of public money charges after investigators found over $40 million in gold bars at his home.
A federal judge in Virginia extended the deadline for a formal indictment of former CIA employee David J. Rush until Oct. 8, allowing prosecutors and his lawyer to complete a tentative plea agreement and avoid a public trial that could involve classified information.
Rush, charged in May with theft of public money, is accused of falsifying military leave records after his 2015 Navy discharge and inflating his salary by claiming unearned degrees from Clemson University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, according to an FBI affidavit.
The affidavit also disclosed that a search of Rush’s residence yielded roughly 300 gold bars valued at more than $40 million, about $2 million in cash and around 35 luxury watches. Federal investigators said the gold bars were obtained from the U.S. government for “work-related expenses.”
Rush’s attorney argued that the gold-bar issue is unrelated to the charges, calling it “a sensational tidbit.” A Justice Department lawyer testified in June that Rush was not authorized to keep the gold bars at his home.