David Rush, a 49-year-old senior CIA officer, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, to one count of wire fraud, after admitting he exposed a secret United States source to a foreign official. U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff approved the plea.
Rush faces up to 20 years at a sentencing set for January 28, 2027. Justice officials said he secretly diverted 194 million dollars in government funds in an elaborate scheme for his own enrichment, using his post in the CIA's Directorate of Science and Technology.
In the plea papers he admitted that in late 2025 he gave descriptive information about a clandestine human source, putting lives at risk and threatening the country's ability to recruit sources in future. He has been in custody since his arrest on May 19, 2026, after federal investigators found he had lied about his education and his military service.
A search of his home took about 298 gold bars, weighing about 600 pounds, 2 million dollars in United States currency, and 35 luxury watches.