A former Central Intelligence Agency executive agent faces new allegations of creating a fraudulent spy protocol to siphon millions of dollars from the United States government following his arrest in May, as reported by The Guardian.
David Rush, who worked for seventeen years as a senior-level employee at the CIA, allegedly stole more than forty million dollars in bullion bars, foreign currency, and luxury watches from his government office before federal investigators uncovered his illicit operations.
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Fake Program and Fraudulent Contracts
United States officials now allege that Rush expanded his fraudulent activities by establishing an unauthorized special access program, a restrictive security protocol used to limit the distribution of highly sensitive information.
According to federal officials, Rush initiated two agency colleagues into the fake program under strict secrecy, preventing them from sharing details with other staff members, and subsequently manipulated an individual into moving millions of dollars through a fraudulent government contract.
"He made up a contract," said an unnamed source to the Washington Post.
The illicit operations reportedly mimicked legitimate continuity of government operations, which are designed to maintain federal functions during catastrophic events like a nuclear war.
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Rush remains detained in Alexandria, Virginia, on charges of stealing public funds, falsifying his educational and military credentials to obtain his intelligence position, and filing fraudulent time cards regarding active navy reservist duty.
"Since being honorably discharged in February 2015, Rush has claimed 744 hours of military leave on his official timesheet, representing approximately $77,000 in compensation," wrote FBI special agent Matthew Johnson in a criminal complaint.
The incident has intensified scrutiny over the security vetting processes utilized by the intelligence agency for personnel granted access to highly classified information.
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The CIA has placed multiple employees on administrative leave while the federal investigation into the security breach continues.
