Former CIA official reaches preliminary plea agreement after FBI discovers $40 million in gold bars at his home
The Justice Department has reached a preliminary plea agreement with a former CIA official who was discovered with over $40 million in gold bars at his home in May, as per a court filing on Friday.
Prosecutors and the former CIA official’s lawyer requested a federal district court in Virginia to extend the indictment filing deadline to October 8, stating that "a pre-indictment resolution promotes the public interest by conserving government and judicial resources."
"The parties have made significant progress and have a plea agreement in principle that would resolve the matter prior to an indictment," they wrote, adding that "based on the evidence obtained in the case thus far, the parties assess that proceeding to an indictment and trial would necessitate significant litigation on any classified material."
The court filing did not specify the charges to which the former official, David Rush, might plead.
A criminal complaint from May charged Rush with one count of stealing public money due to timesheet fraud.
In the criminal complaint, the FBI stated it found 303 gold bars, $2 million in cash, and 35 luxury watches, most of them Rolex, during a search warrant execution at Rush’s Virginia home in May.
The FBI also alleged that Rush provided false details about his education and military service on his government application and fraudulently took military leave after his service ended. The complaint alleges Rush claimed 744 hours of military leave on his official timesheet, totaling about $77,000 in compensation, after he was honorably discharged from the Navy in 2015.
According to the FBI, Rush allegedly made multiple requests to the government for large sums of foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bars for work-related expenses, which he received. The complaint added that Rush’s employer could not identify "the intended use of these funds."
In June, a federal judge ordered Rush to remain in custody pending trial, deeming him a severe flight risk.
CBS News has contacted Rush’s attorney.
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