CIA officer admits creating fake secret program to steal over $190 million, including gold bars

A CIA officer has admitted to creating a fake top-secret government program that he used to steal more than $190 million, including physical gold bars, according to a report by TechCrunch.

The officer, identified as David Rush, worked on highly sensitive intelligence programs within the agency. He reached a plea deal with US prosecutors after investigators determined that he had been siphoning money and gold through a fabricated government contract tied to the fake program.

The scheme reportedly relied on Rush's access to and familiarity with classified program structures, allowing him to construct a cover that appeared legitimate within the agency's internal systems. The report does not detail exactly how the fraudulent program evaded detection for as long as it did, or how investigators ultimately uncovered the scheme.

The inclusion of physical gold bars among the stolen assets points to an unusual element in the case, as most large-scale government fraud schemes typically involve purely financial transactions rather than physical precious metals. It is not specified in the available report how or where the gold was stored, converted, or recovered.

Plea agreements in cases involving classified government programs often include conditions related to cooperation with ongoing investigations and restrictions on public disclosure of certain details, though the specific terms of Rush's agreement were not outlined in the material reviewed.

The case is likely to raise renewed questions about internal financial oversight mechanisms within US intelligence agencies, particularly regarding how classified programs are authorized, funded, and audited.