An Ashburn man who held a senior position at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) pleaded guilty Tuesday, Oct. 6, to defrauding the federal government of approximately $194 million.

David J. Rush, 49, entered a guilty plea to one count of wire fraud in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. The crime is listed as occurring in Fairfax County.

Rush used his position and Top Secret security clearance to create fictitious government programs, then directed contractors to funnel taxpayer money into luxury real estate and gold bars for his personal benefit, according to court documents. When a government colleague questioned his programs, Rush told them they did not have a "need to know" what the funding was for.

Rush directed approximately $145 million in wire transfers to a holding company he controlled, WTOP reported. He used the money to purchase four luxury properties in Palm Beach and Hobe Sound, Florida. He also created a separate fake program to acquire gold bars, directing a contractor to deliver 298 of them to his Loudoun County office between December 2025 and February 2026, according to Military.com's review of the plea agreement.

He kept the bars in a safe.

Rush also authorized more than $1.8 million in privately chartered flights for personal use at government expense, according to the Justice Department.

When the FBI searched Rush's Ashburn home on May 19, 2026, agents recovered the 298 gold bars, approximately $2.1 million in cash, €104,795 and numerous luxury watches. The government assessed the gold bars' cost to taxpayers at $46 million. Rush was arrested the following day. A federal judge determined he posed a serious flight risk and ordered him detained.

Court documents show Rush reached his senior position in part by lying about his background. He falsely claimed to be a Navy pilot with degrees from Clemson University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Investigators determined he attended neither school and did not serve as a Navy pilot, though he enlisted in the Navy in 1997 and was honorably discharged from the Navy Reserve as a lieutenant in 2015.

Rush also admitted to revealing the existence of a U.S. government clandestine human source to a foreign government official in 2025 and providing a description of that individual, according to Patch. No charges related to that disclosure were included in the plea agreement.

Under the deal, Rush agreed to forfeit the gold bars, the cash, the Florida properties, 30 watches and two 2026 BMW Alpina vehicles, at least one valued at approximately $172,000. The agreement also bars him from contacting any foreign government and imposes national-security restrictions on his confinement.

FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that the plea demonstrates the bureau's commitment to ensuring no government position or security clearance places anyone above the law. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Rush abused his position and betrayed the public trust, and that the agency referred the matter to the FBI after an internal investigation identified potential crimes.

Rush faces up to 20 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff is scheduled to sentence him on Jan. 28, 2027, in Alexandria. The Justice Department said its investigation is continuing, and the Director of National Intelligence has asked the Intelligence Community's inspector general to launch a separate inquiry into how Rush carried out the scheme.