An ex-CIA official with access to top-secret information is facing serious allegations of stealing over $40 million worth of gold bars from the federal government, hiding them within his residence.
David Rush was taken into custody and formally charged with the criminal theft of public funds last week. This development was revealed through federal court documents filed in Virginia, where Rush resides.
According to an affidavit from an FBI agent, between November and March, Rush obtained a “significant quantity of foreign currency along with tens of millions of dollars in gold bars” for claimed work-related purposes.
The affidavit notes ambiguity surrounding Rush’s intended use for the funds, though a portion was discovered in a storage facility close to his workplace.
On May 18, federal officials executed a search of his home, confiscating over 300 gold bars valued at more than $40 million, as stated in the affidavit. Additionally, they seized approximately $2 million in cash and around 35 luxury watches, predominantly Rolexes. Rush was apprehended the following day, according to the FBI.
The FBI affidavit concludes that there’s probable cause to believe that Rush “knowingly embezzled, stole, purloined, or knowingly converted a thing of value of the United States” for his personal use.
The FBI said it was working with the CIA and Department of Justice in its investigation.
Rush’s lawyer declined to comment Wednesday.
It’s not clear what role Rush had at the CIA or when he left the agency. He’s described in court filings simply as a “former senior executive service-level employee at a United States government agency.” Spokespersons for the FBI declined to comment further, and the CIA didn’t respond to an email.
The FBI affidavit also notes that Rush appears to have lied for years about his education and military background. The bureau’s investigation found he had falsely claimed to be a Navy pilot and that he’d graduated from Clemson University in South Carolina and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York.
Instead, they found he had enlisted in the Navy in 1997 and then served in the U.S. Navy Reserves from 2004 until 2015, when he was honorably discharged as a lieutenant. The affidavit states he does not appear to have underwent any evaluations as a pilot during that time, and he did not attend either college.
Rush is being held in custody pending a hearing Friday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.