“Our Intelligence Community must have the trust of the American people to operate effectively in a Nation committed to transparency and the rule of law,” said Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg. “Rush repeatedly betrayed that trust. He defrauded the United States out of approximately $194 million in real estate, jewelry, and other valuable property, including 298 gold bars. Worse, his self-serving actions threatened to erode public confidence in the intelligence services that must strive in secret to keep America safe. Thankfully, the efforts of the Department of Justice, its partners in law enforcement, and the Intelligence Community exposed Rush’s crimes. Today’s plea marks an important step in bringing Rush to justice.”