Plea hearing set for ex-CIA officer David Rush, found with gold bars

Left · 2A plea hearing was set for Tuesday 6 October in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, in the case of David Rush, a former CIA officer found with 303 gold bars worth about $40 million at his home, according to court records. 1 2 Left · 1The hearing is before U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff. Rush has not yet entered a plea, and his attorney had no comment on Monday. 1 Left · 2Rush is formally charged with one count of theft of public funds, accused of falsifying pay records. A federal complaint also alleges he lied about his academic credentials and military experience to obtain an inflated salary and military leave. 1 2

Left · 1Two people familiar with the investigation told NBC News that Rush is also accused of making up a false CIA program. Four people familiar with the investigation said investigators believe more money or other items may be missing beyond what was seized at his home. 1 Left · 1ABC News reports Rush has been held as a flight risk since he was detained in June. At his detention hearing, prosecutor Gavin Tisdale said Rush had falsely claimed to be a doctor, lied to neighbours about being a pilot, and put funds into easily tradable commodities such as Rolex watches seized from his home. 2 Left · 1Tisdale said many of the assets Rush is believed to have access to remain unaccounted for, and that Rush had undisclosed travel. He said Rush was "in a world of trouble" and had shown a regular "manipulation of classification", even though he faces only a single charge. 2

Left · 1Rush was placed on leave before his arrest and later fired from the CIA. Several senior CIA officials were placed on leave over how his requests for money were managed, and the intelligence community's inspector general is investigating the circumstances that led to his arrest. 1 Left · 1NBC News reports the case has drawn attention to Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, who sources said had a close professional relationship with Rush; Feinberg, through a Pentagon spokesperson, denied this. The FBI interviewed Feinberg but said he was not under investigation, and there is no indication he knew of the alleged fabrications. 1 Left · 1NBC News notes that a plea deal would let the government avoid a lengthy trial that could draw attention to CIA mistakes and prevent disclosure of more information on the agency's operations. The prosecution and defence had earlier jointly asked for more time to work out a deal. 1