All articles tagged with #cia
A former CIA official is accused of stealing 303 gold bars worth over $40 million from the agency, hiding them at his Virginia home, and lying about his military and educational background. The FBI seized the gold, cash, and luxury watches, and he faces charges including theft of public funds as prosecutors pursue the case within the national-security apparatus.
A former senior CIA official, David Rush, was arrested after FBI agents found about 303 gold bars (roughly 1 kg each) worth more than $40 million, plus around $2 million in cash and 35 luxury watches, at his Virginia home. Court documents say Rush sought foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bars for “work-related expenses” between late 2025 and March 2026 and later received them; the CIA couldn’t locate the gold or currency, triggering an FBI investigation. Rush, who reportedly had top secret clearance, is charged with criminal theft of public money and is detained pending his hearing.”,
Chihuahua Gov. Maria Eugenia Campos Galván says she is being persecuted by the Morena party as she faces questioning over an April raid in which two CIA agents and two Mexican investigators died; a federal probe is examining potential national-security violations after the operation, with officials noting the CIA agents lacked formal accreditation; the U.S. has sought arrests/extraditions of Morena politicians over cartel ties, and the U.S. ambassador offered condolences.
A former CIA senior officer with top-secret clearance is charged with criminal theft of public money after authorities say he secretly stored about 300 gold bars worth over $40 million at his home and lied about his background for years. The FBI seized the gold, cash, and watches during a raid, and the case raises questions about the effectiveness of the government's continuous vetting and background-check programs for intelligence personnel.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s high‑profile meeting with Cuba’s Interior Minister and the head of Cuban intelligence in Havana marks the clearest public milestone yet in two months of opaque U.S.–Cuba negotiations, unfolding as Cuba grapples with a severe fuel shortage and blackouts under an energy embargo. The talks come amid mixed signals from Washington about openness to diplomacy and aid conditioned on reforms, while Havana stresses bilateral cooperation and maintains its security apparatus, even as protests over living conditions intensify.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Havana to meet Cuban intelligence officials and Raulito Castro to discuss intelligence cooperation, economic stability, and the possibility of U.S.–Cuba engagement, conditioned on Cuba making fundamental changes as the island grapples with a severe fuel shortage worsened by sanctions and a broader economic crisis.
Cuba says CIA Director John Ratcliffe met Havana’s interior ministry as the U.S. renews a $100m aid offer amid a severe fuel shortage blamed on the U.S. blockade; Havana says relief would come with lifting sanctions, while protests over blackouts continue and both sides discuss bilateral security cooperation.
Cuba said CIA Director John Ratcliffe led a U.S. delegation to Havana to meet with the Interior Ministry. In a televised statement, Havana said Cuba does not threaten U.S. security, denied hosting foreign bases or terrorists, and noted there are no legitimate reasons to add Cuba to the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. The meeting comes as Cuba faces a worsening energy crisis and as U.S.–Cuba tensions remain high, with Washington signaling openness to talks.
CNN reports that the CIA has broadened its covert, and at times lethal, operations inside Mexico to dismantle cartel networks, including direct involvement in a high-profile assassination and ongoing real-time intelligence support with Mexican authorities, raising sovereignty concerns and fears of potential spillover of violence into the United States.
Iran hanged Erfan Shakourzadeh, a 29-year-old graduate student, after convicting him of spying for the CIA and Mossad; rights groups say he was tortured and forced to confess, while a prison note from him claimed innocence as executions continue amid protests and heightened tensions with the U.S.
A confidential CIA assessment delivered to the White House concludes Iran can survive a U.S. naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz for roughly three to four months before facing more severe economic hardship, and Tehran retains a substantial missile and drone arsenal, complicating hopes to end the war quickly.
Apple TV has greenlit Disavowed, an action-thriller series starring James Marsden as CIA Case Officer Brad Griffin who is fired amid a global hunt for a elusive assassin, with a $15 million bounty on the head. Created by Art Marcum & Matt Holloway and produced by Apple Studios and Blue Marble Pictures, the series marks the first TV project from the duo, with Marsden and others as executive producers. Production has been in development since last year and will deepen Marsden’s ongoing collaboration with Apple TV, where he also stars in Your Friends & Neighbors Season 2.
Robert O’Neill, the SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden, says he gave the CIA analyst who tracked the 9/11 mastermind a magazine from his gun (with 27 rounds) as a personal keepsake after the May 2, 2011 raid, recounting a moment of bonding with the no-nonsense analyst before they left Jalalabad; the analyst’s stoic demeanor contrasted with the gravity of finally delivering justice.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said there will be no U.S.-Mexico confrontation over the deaths of two CIA agents in Chihuahua, stressing respect for Mexico’s constitution and security laws. Mexico says the agents were not authorized to operate there, with one entering as a visitor and the other using a diplomatic passport, and the CIA declined to comment. Sheinbaum called for clarifications and for authorities to act promptly, noting the incident should be isolated; the case follows a prior U.S.–Mexico security coordination framework established last year under the Trump administration.
Mexico says two CIA agents killed in a car crash in Chihuahua were not authorized to participate in operations on Mexican soil; one entered as a visitor and the other with a diplomatic passport, and the government is reviewing the case with local authorities and the U.S. Embassy amid conflicting accounts about foreign involvement.