Former CIA official accused of stealing $40M in gold bars pleads guilty

Justice Department/AP

A former senior CIA official pleaded guilty on Tuesday in Virginia to a charge that he abused his position and government funds to enrich himself by acquiring Florida real estate and hundreds of gold bars worth over $40 million, according to court records.

David J. Rush fabricated a “highly classified” government program to justify the acquisition of luxury property in south Florida that he intended to resell for personal profit, according to a court filing. Rush separately concocted a bogus “sensitive government activity” to obtain the gold bars, the filing says.

Rush’s fraudulent conduct cost the federal government approximately $194 million in total losses, according to the Justice Department.

Prosecutors also accuse Rush of lying to colleagues and government contractors about his military and academic credentials and the fake program that he invented, falsely claiming it was authorized by high-ranking US officials.

“Rush used his legitimate government authority and manufactured personal bona fides to create confidence in his directions,” the court filing says.

Rush, 49, of Ashburn, Virginia, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, court records show. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff is scheduled to sentence Rush on Jan. 28 in Alexandria, Virginia.

Several months ago, Rush tried to fraudulently authorize the release of $100 million from a government contract, according to Tuesday’s filing. He directed somebody else to transfer approximately $145 million to a holding company formed at his direction, then used those funds to acquire four “luxury” properties in Palm Beach and Hobe Sound, Florida, the filing says.

In previous court filings, prosecutors said Rush stashed roughly $46 million worth of gold bars from the federal government at his Virginia home. They also accused him of fraudulently claiming tens of thousands of dollars in compensation for military leave after he was honorably discharged from the US Navy in 2015.

“Federal employees are entrusted with serving the American people, not themselves,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the agency immediately referred the matter to the FBI after an internal investigation turned up evidence of Rush’s crimes.

“David Rush abused his position and betrayed the public trust and should be held fully accountable for his actions,” Ratcliffe said in a statement.

Rush was arrested after investigators searched his home and seized approximately 300 gold bars, roughly $2 million and about 35 luxury watches, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit . A judge ordered Rush to be held without bond after his initial court appearance earlier this year.

During a hearing in June, defense attorney Jessica Carmichael said Rush wasn’t charged initially with any crimes related to the discovery of the gold bars, which she referred to as “basically a nonissue” and “nothing more than a sensational tidbit.” She said her client properly obtained the gold bars and kept them locked in a safe in his basement.

“Mr. Rush never claimed they were his,” Carmichael said.

Carmichael declined to comment on Rush’s guilty plea after Tuesday’s hearing.

Authorities say Rush lied about his education and military background on job applications, falsely claiming to be a former Navy pilot who graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Clemson University in South Carolina and a master’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York.

Investigators determined that he didn’t serve as a Navy pilot and didn’t attend either school. Rush enlisted in the Navy in 1997 and was honorably discharged from the US Navy Reserve as a lieutenant in 2015, according to the FBI affidavit.

美国司法部/美联社

据法庭记录显示，一名前中央情报局高级官员周二在弗吉尼亚州认罪，他被控滥用职权和政府资金，通过购买佛罗里达州房地产和价值超过 4000 万美元的数百根金条来中饱私囊。

根据一份法庭文件，大卫·J·拉什捏造了一个“高度机密”的政府项目，以此为借口在佛罗里达州南部购置豪华房产，他打算将这些房产转售牟利。文件还称，拉什另外编造了一个虚假的“敏感政府活动”来获取金条。

据司法部称，拉什的欺诈行为给联邦政府造成了约 1.94 亿美元的损失。

检察官还指控拉什向同事和政府承包商谎称自己的军事和学术资历，以及他捏造的虚假项目，谎称该项目已获得美国高级官员的授权。

法庭文件称：“拉什利用其合法的政府权力，捏造个人信誉，以博取人们对他指示的信任。”

现年49岁、居住在弗吉尼亚州阿什本的拉什承认犯有一项电信诈骗罪，该罪最高可判处20年监禁，法庭记录显示。地区法官迈克尔·纳赫马诺夫定于1月28日在弗吉尼亚州亚历山大市对拉什进行宣判。

根据周二提交的文件，几个月前，拉什试图以欺诈手段授权从一项政府合同中拨付1亿美元。文件称，他指示他人将约1.45亿美元转移到一家根据他的指示成立的控股公司，然后用这些资金在佛罗里达州棕榈滩和霍布桑德购置了四处“豪华​​”房产。

此前提交的法庭文件中，检方称拉什在其弗吉尼亚州的家中藏匿了价值约4600万美元的联邦政府金条。他们还指控他在2015年从美国海军光荣退役后，谎称领取了数万美元的军事休假补偿金。

“联邦雇员受托为美国人民服务，而不是为自己服务，”司法部长托德·布兰奇在一份声明中说。

中央情报局局长约翰·拉特克利夫表示，在内部调查发现拉什犯罪的证据后，该机构立即将此事移交给了联邦调查局。

拉特克利夫在一份声明中表示：“大卫·拉什滥用职权，辜负了公众的信任，应该为其行为承担全部责任。”

据联邦调查局特工的宣誓书显示，调查人员搜查了拉什的住所，查获了约300根金条、约200万美元现金和约35块名表，随后将其逮捕。今年早些时候，拉什首次出庭后，法官下令将其羁押，不得保释。

在六月份的一次听证会上，辩护律师杰西卡·卡迈克尔表示，拉什最初并未因发现金条而被指控任何罪行，她称此事“基本上无关紧要”，“只不过是耸人听闻的小道消息”。她说，她的当事人合法地获得了这些金条，并将它们锁在地下室的保险箱里。

“拉什先生从未声称这些物品是他的，”卡迈克尔说。

周二的听证会后，卡迈克尔拒绝就拉什的认罪发表评论。

当局称，拉什在求职申请中谎报了自己的教育背景和服役经历，谎称自己是前海军飞行员，拥有南卡罗来纳州克莱姆森大学的学士学位和纽约伦斯勒理工学院的硕士学位。

调查人员确定他没有担任过海军飞行员，也没有就读过这两所学校。根据联邦调查局的宣誓书，拉什于1997年加入海军，并于2015年以海军中尉军衔从美国海军预备役光荣退役。