一名前美国中央情报局高级官员认罪，承认在一起价值超过4000万美元（约合3020万英镑）的诈骗案中窃取了数百根金条并购买了房地产。
A former senior CIA official has pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of gold bars and acquiring real estate in a scam worth more than $40m (£30.2m).
大卫·拉什也承认，他曾向一名外国官员透露了美国政府某秘密情报来源的身份。法庭记录显示，这位现年49岁、来自弗吉尼亚州阿什本的男子对一项电信欺诈罪名供认不讳，该罪名最高可判处20年监禁。据NBC新闻报道，今年5月遭逮捕的拉什的律师们拒绝就此事发表评论。根据美国司法部的说法，拉什的欺诈行为致使联邦政府总共损失约1.94亿美元（约合1.465亿英镑）。
David Rush also admitted he provided a foreign official with information about the identity of a secret source for the US government. The 49-year-old of Ashburn, Virginia, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, court records show. Lawyers for Rush, who was arrested in May, have declined to comment, NBC News reported. Rush's fraudulent conduct cost the federal government approximately $194m (£146.5m) in total losses, according to the Justice Department.
这些损失包括拉什以个人用途为由、动用公款安排的超过180万美元（约合136万英镑）的私人包机费用。法庭文件显示，拉什编造了一个所谓“高度机密”的政府项目，以此作为自己购置南佛罗里达州豪华房产的理由，他计划将这些房产转手出售以谋取私利。此外，他还虚构了所谓的“敏感政府活动”来为自己获取金条提供借口。
These included more than $1.8m (£1.36m) in privately chartered flights that Rush authorised for personal use at the government's expense. Rush fabricated a "highly classified" government programme to justify the acquisition of luxury property in south Florida that he intended to resell for personal profit, according to a court filing. He separately made up "sensitive government activity" to obtain the gold bars, court files show.
在调查人员询问时，拉什承认自己曾向外国代表泄露信息，不过法庭记录并未提及该官员所属国家的名称。检察官还指控拉什在军事履历、学历背景以及他编造的虚假项目方面对同事及政府承包商撒谎。
His admission of providing information to a foreign representative came under questioning from investigators, but court records have not specified the name of the official's country. Prosecutors also accused Rush of lying to colleagues and government contractors about his military and academic credentials and the fake programme he invented.
更多天空新闻内容：皇家邮政计划裁员至多2500人；无人机撞击船只后船员安危引发担忧。法庭文件显示，数月前拉什试图通过欺诈手段从一份政府合同中套取1亿美元（约合7550万英镑）。文件称，他指使他人将约1.45亿美元（约合1.095亿英镑）转入由他操控的一家控股公司，随后用这笔资金在佛罗里达州购置了四处“豪华”房产。
More from Sky News:Royal Mail to cut up to 2,500 jobsFears for crew after drone hits ship Several months ago, Rush tried to fraudulently authorise the release of $100m (£75.5m) from a government contract, according to court files. He directed somebody else to transfer approximately $145m (£109.5m) to a holding company formed at his direction, then used those funds to acquire four "luxury" properties in Florida, the filing says.
在此前的法庭文件中，检察官指出拉什将价值约4600万美元（约合3470万英镑）的联邦政府金条藏在了自己位于弗吉尼亚州的家中。执法部门称，拉什在求职申请中谎报了自己的学历与军旅经历，还虚假声称自己曾是海军飞行员。布什将于1月28日在弗吉尼亚州接受宣判。
In previous court filings, prosecutors said Rush stashed roughly $46m (£34.7m) worth of gold bars from the federal government at his Virginia home. Authorities have said Rush lied about his education and military background on job applications, falsely claiming to be a former Navy pilot. Rush is scheduled to be sentenced on 28 January in Virginia.