CIA Gold thief also compromised spy’s identity, DOJ Says

Previously unrevealed details about a rogue CIA officer’s massive gold theft were revealed Tuesday—including that the former officer, David Rush, shared the identity of one of the agency’s spies to a foreign government.

The details about Rush’s classified information leak were included in a plea document filed Tuesday, the same day he officially pled guilty to executing a scheme to one count of wire fraud. Rush was arrested in May after authorities found some $40 million in gold bars at his home, which he siphoned from the government by creating a fake spy program.

According to his plea document, the gold theft was only scratched the surface of his betrayal.

In total, Rush defrauded the government out of at least $194 million. His plea document says that along with the gold theft, he directed somebody else to transfer about $145 million to a holding company, then used those funds to acquire four “luxury” properties in Palm Beach and Hobe Sound, Florida.

Rush also committed a grave sin in the CIA—revealing the identify of an agent.

“RUSH revealed to a foreign government official the existence and certain descriptive information of a government clandestine human source,” the plea document says.

“The disclosure of such information could endanger the safety and life of the human source and the U.S. government officers working with the source and jeopardize the U.S. government’s ability to recruit human sources, who rely on the U.S. government’s assurance of absolute secrecy.”

Despite the seriousness of his crimes, Rush only faces up to 20 years in prison for the one count of wire fraud. Anonymous sources have said that the DOJ cut a plea deal with him so the government wouldn’t have to reveal CIA secrets in open court.

Rush was first put under federal investigation due to him allegedly lying on his job resume—he allegedly obtained $77,000 in military leave by falsely claiming to be in the Navy, even though he was discharged in 2015.

As the FBI’s investigation into Rush progressed, agents found that he allegedly made several requests to the government to obtain a “significant quantity” of foreign currency, as well as tens of millions of dollars in gold bars, for “work-related expenses” from last November to March.

“During the search, FBI agents seized approximately 303 gold bars, each of which weighs approximately one kilogram,” court records say. “Based on the current price of gold, the estimated value of the gold exceeds $40 million.”