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US spy found with $40m in gold bars pleads guilty to wire fraud

BBC • October 6, 2026 • general

Key Points:

David Rush, a former CIA officer, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in a $200 million scam involving fake contracts and luxury real estate purchases funded by defrauded US government money.
Authorities discovered 298 gold bars at Rush's home, which he had obtained under the pretense of "work-related expenses," and he used fraudulently acquired funds to buy luxury properties and assets including cars and watches.
Rush disclosed sensitive information about a "clandestine human source" to a foreign official, potentially endangering lives and US intelligence operations.
Prosecutors revealed Rush fabricated a classified program to justify large expenditures and acted as his own approving official to avoid scrutiny, moving funds into easily tradable commodities to conceal the crime.
A federal judge is scheduled to set Rush's sentence, with a maximum prison term of 20 years; he is currently held pending trial due to being considered a flight risk given his background.

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