David Rush Nears Plea Deal After 303 Gold Bars Worth $40 Million Were Found

3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Sep 11

$40 million in gold bars found at David Rush’s home has pushed the former CIA officer and federal prosecutors to a plea agreement in principle, with both sides seeking to resolve the case before indictment.
A joint filing asked for a 21-day extension to Oct. 8 to finish the paperwork and an agreed statement of facts, saying a pre-indictment deal would conserve government and court resources.
Rush has so far been charged only with one count of theft of public funds, tied to allegedly falsified pay records, even though agents also seized about $2 million in cash and 35 luxury watches.
The case remains unusually opaque because lawyers are under a protective order covering sensitive information, and a plea could avoid a public trial touching classified CIA and Pentagon programs.
The investigation has also widened scrutiny around Rush’s ties to Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, who the FBI interviewed but says is not under investigation.