US luxury homes worth $144m forfeited by new owner

A former CIA agent has pleaded guilty to misusing his government position to execute a scheme to defraud the federal government out of approximately $US194 million ($A278 million), after spending the taxpayer funds on a trove of gold bars and luxury properties in Florida. David J. Rush, 49, was employed in a senior executive-level position at the CIA and held a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance. While reaching these top positions, Mr Rush lied about his education and military experience, according to his plea agreement. Mr Rush used his position to acquire gold bars and purchase four luxury real estate properties in Florida worth more than $US100 million ($A144 million) altogether, along with 298 gold bars, luxury watches, and two BMW vehicles. The plea agreement reached on Tuesday orders him to forfeit the property and repay the government, Realtor reports. “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 in a press release. “Rush betrayed his oath, his co-workers, and the American people and he will now face j...