Pershing Gold Appoints D. Scott Barr to Board of Directors

LAKEWOOD, Colo., June 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Pershing Gold Corporation (NASDAQ:PGLC) (FWB:7PG1) ("Pershing Gold" or the "Company"), an emerging gold producer, today announces the appointment of D. Scott Barr ("Barr") to its Board of Directors.

Mr. Barr has more than 35 years of metallurgical and mine operations experience.  He was formerly an executive at Newmont Mining Corporation ("Newmont") where he was most recently involved with independent reviews and financial decisions for various Newmont projects. Additionally, while at Newmont he was responsible for technical, project and operations management globally, with a specific emphasis on gold and copper deposits in Nevada, Ghana, Australia, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Peru, and Bolivia.

Barr was also the Executive Vice President/COO and Technical Advisor at Golden Star Resources Ltd., a mid-tier gold producer with operations in Ghana.  His significant operations experience in Nevada includes leadership positions with Independence Mining Company (previously Freeport Gold Co.) where he was Vice President & General Manger, Chief Metallurgist and Vice President of Process Operations.

Barr holds a M.Sc. in Metallurgical Engineering from the Mackay School of Mines from the University of Nevada, Reno and B.S. degrees in Metallurgical Engineering and Chemical Engineering from the University of Idaho.   He has served as a director on the board of Seabridge Gold Inc, since 2011, is an MMSA-Qualified Person, and is currently a member of SME, CIM, MMSA and AICHE.

"We are very pleased by the addition of Scott to our Board of Directors," commented Stephen D. Alfers, Pershing Gold CEO and Executive Chairman. "His extensive operations experience add to our current team of experts and will add tremendous value as the Company progresses towards production at the Relief Canyon Mine."

About Pershing Gold Corporation
Pershing Gold is an emerging gold producer whose primary asset is the Relief Canyon Mine in Pershing County, Nevada. Relief Canyon includes three open-pit mines, expanding adjacent open-pit-able gold deposits, and a state-of-the-art, fully permitted and constructed heap-leach processing facility. Pershing Gold is currently permitted to resume mining at Relief Canyon under the existing Plan of Operations.

Pershing Gold's landholdings cover approximately 25,000 acres that include the Relief Canyon Mine asset and lands surrounding the mine in all directions. This land package provides Pershing Gold with the opportunity to expand the Relief Canyon Mine deposit and to explore and make new discoveries on nearby lands.

Pershing Gold is listed on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol PGLC and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol 7PG1.

www.PershingGold.com

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SOURCE Pershing Gold Corporation

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