// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Ex-US spy who stashed gold bars in his home admits to $200m scam
A former CIA officer who was arrested after authorities found hundreds of gold bars stashed in his home has admitted to defrauding the US government in a sprawling $200m (£151m) scam involving fake contracts and real estate.
David Rush, 49, is required to pay restitution to the government and forfeit luxury real estate, cars, watches and other assets tied to his crime as part of the plea deal.
Rush also confessed to providing secrets to a foreign government, which could have caused "grave damage" to national security.
"The defendant will plead guilty because the defendant is in fact guilty of the charged offense," prosecutors stated in a court filing outlining the plea deal.
The BBC has contacted Rush's lawyer, who declined to comment.
Rush was initially charged with theft of public funds, but has now pleaded guilty to wire fraud. At the time of his arrest, a raid on his home uncovered 298 gold bars that he had received for "work-related expenses".
Court filings around the deal bring new details to light, including that Rush revealed the existence and description of a "clandestine human source" to a foreign official.
"The disclosure of such information could endanger the safety and life of the human source and the US government officers working with the source and jeopardize the US government's ability to recruit human sources, who rely on the US government's assurances of absolute secrecy," prosecutors said in the filing.
In a news release, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Rush "abused his position and betrayed the public trust and should be held fully accountable for his actions".
FBI investigators said that between November 2025 to March 2026 Rush made repeated requests for "a significant quantity of foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bars for work-related expenses".