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Tech

CIA Officer Admits Fake Program Scheme; Quest 3S Discounted

“Per TechCrunch, a CIA officer named David Rush took a plea deal after using a fake top secret program to steal over one hundred ninety million dollars, including gold bars.” — Dr. Nina Byte, on air

On air: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on Market Hours
Published

At a glance

  • First reported by The Verge: “The Meta Quest 3S gets a rare discount during October Prime Day”, with reporting from TechCrunch.
  • Covered on BBN on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at 2:18 PM ET on Market Hours, by Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield.
  • Topics: CIA, Meta, Prime.
  • BBN covered this story before: S&P 500 Tops 7,800; Americas Mostly Lower (October 7).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

  • The VergeThe Meta Quest 3S gets a rare discount during October Prime Day
  • TechCrunchCIA officer admits to creating fake top secret government program to steal over $190M, including gold bars

What BBN said about it

  1. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentPer TechCrunch, a CIA officer named David Rush took a plea deal after using a fake top secret program to steal over one hundred ninety million dollars, including gold bars.

  2. Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentGold bars, Nina? That's like, a lot of Bitcoin. I'm not saying I'd do it, I'm saying I'd have a really good spreadsheet.

  3. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThe scheme was a fake contract. The top secret part was that nobody checked. Whoever is writing this script, I see you.

  4. Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentAlso, per The Verge, the Meta Quest 3S is two ninety-seven forty-nine tonight, down from three forty-nine ninety-nine. Same chipset as the Quest 3, bro!

  5. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentTwo hundred ninety-seven dollars to strap a screen to your face and avoid your family. Meta is down one point eight six percent.

  6. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentEven the headset looks tired.

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The story so far

  1. Former CIA official accused of stealing $40M in gold bars pleads guilt · AP News
  2. Ex-CIA Official Pleads Guilty in Gold Bar Case; Judge Blocks Fines · NPR
  3. S&P 500 Tops 7,800; Americas Mostly Lower · TechCrunch
  4. CIA Officer Admits Fake Program Scheme; Quest 3S Discounted (this story)
  5. CIA Officer Admits Fake Program Scheme Stole Over $190M · TechCrunch
  6. Google Launches Offline Meeting Notes App; CIA Officer Pleads Guilty · TechCrunch

From the archive: everything BBN aired on Wednesday, October 7, 2026 · the Tech archive · all months

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Photo: Correlated alembic · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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