A CIA officer said he was developing hacking tools, but actually stole $190 million in a top-secret fraud scam.
- Former CIA Official Admitted To Forging Credentials, Landing Senior Position With High-Level Clearance
- He allegedly stole nearly $194 million through a fake intelligence program.
- The FBI confiscated gold, cash and luxury goods; faces up to 20 years in prison
A 49-year-old man lied on his resume to get hired by the CIA, and when he got a high-ranking position, he used it to steal millions of dollars from the US government. He then used that money to fund a lavish lifestyle and was eventually caught and now faces 20 years in prison.
No, this is not the plot of Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Langley,” the news has just been confirmed by the United States Department of Justice, which named David J. Rush, of Ashburn, Virginia, as the scammer, and said he pleaded guilty to “executing a scheme to defraud the federal government.”
“Following an internal investigation that identified potential crimes, the CIA immediately referred this matter to the FBI,” said CIA Director John Ratcliffe. “David Rush abused his position and betrayed the public trust and should be held fully accountable for his actions.”
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The Wolf of Langley
According to court documents, Rush lied during the job interview about his education and military experience, which ultimately helped him land a high-level executive position at a federal agency. In that position, he held a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance, a designation that some government agencies use to control access to some of the government’s most sensitive classified information.
It combines Top Secret clearance (the highest standard security classification level in the US) with eligibility to access sensitive compartmented information (SCI) which, itself, is subject to additional security restrictions.
This authorization allowed Rush to access highly classified US government intelligence, but more importantly, it allowed him to create a fake “Special Access Program” and obtain funding. He then used these funds to transfer approximately $145 million to himself, purchasing luxury real estate, watches and “at least one car.” He also acquired 298 gold bars, worth approximately $46 million. In total, Rush pocketed $193,590,400 in US government funds.
Obviously, $200 million isn’t pocket change, and someone must have noticed, because on May 19 the FBI raided Rush’s residence. They recovered 298 gold bars, more than two million in cash, just over €100,000 in euros and “numerous luxury watches,” most of which were Rolex. He later pleaded guilty and agreed to forfeit the gold bars, fiat currency, 30 watches, two 2026 BMW Alpina cars (worth more than $150,000 each), and all real estate he purchased with the stolen money.
“By his own admission, David Rush defrauded the government of hundreds of millions of dollars and then misused those funds for extravagant purchases,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Rush betrayed his oath of office, his co-workers, and the American people, and will now face justice for his actions. This statement demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to protecting the public trust; and that no government position, security clearance, or access to government resources places anyone above the law.”
20 years in prison
Rush will have to wait until Jan. 28, 2027, to hear his sentence, which could be up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, forfeiture, restitution and a fine, the Justice Department said.
“A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering U.S. sentencing guidelines and other legal factors.”
According TechCrunchRush started work in 2010 and has since worked on developing hacking tools and spy techniques. Its “Special Access Program” was described as a “surveillance or intelligence gathering operation so sensitive that only a few people understand it.” [it]”.
Rush allegedly constructed the siled program as a bogus “continuity of government” plan, to be used in the event of war, natural disaster, or similar major and disruptive event. The gold was apparently purchased by a defrauded defense contractor, which Rush then took home.
Defend email users from themselves
For years now, Microsoft has been adding different types of files to the “blacklist” in an effort to prevent users from downloading and executing malicious attachments sent in phishing emails. As The Register recalls, in December 2023, the company disabled the ms-appinstaller protocol driver by default, after it was abused to distribute malware.
Since then, Microsoft has also blocked .py (Python files), .ps1 (PowerShell files), and .cab (cabinet files). Some people were surprised that it took so long for Microsoft to also remember the .msix and .msixbundle types.
Through The Registry
The best antivirus for all budgets
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