David Rush, a former senior CIA official who held a top-secret security clearance, was arrested and charged with criminal theft of public money last week after federal agents discovered more than $40 million in gold bars, $2 million in cash, and 35 luxury watches at his Virginia home, the FBI said.
An affidavit filed in federal court details how Rush, between November and March, “requested and received a significant quantity of foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bars for work-related expenses.” The document, written by an FBI agent assigned to the case, says that a portion of the gold was later found in a storage space near his office.
When agents executed a search warrant at the home on May 18, they seized more than 300 gold bars valued at over $40 million, roughly $2 million in U.S. currency, and the collection of luxury watches—many of them Rolexes. Rush was taken into custody the next day.
The affidavit leaves open what Rush intended to do with the assets, stating simply that it is “unclear” what the funds were for. The CIA has not publicly commented on the arrest.
Rush faces a charge of criminal theft of public money. The case adds to a series of high-profile accountability actions involving current and former U.S. national security personnel, including a former DEA supervisor charged earlier this year in a visa bribery scheme and an Army veteran charged with leaking classified information.