Ex-CIA official arrested after $40M in gold bars allegedly found at his home

A erstwhile CIA authoritative was arrested past week aft FBI agents allegedly recovered $40 cardinal worthy of golden bars astatine his location portion investigating whether helium lied astir his acquisition and subject background, according to tribunal records and sources acquainted with the matter.

David Rush is presently being held successful jailhouse portion some his defence attorneys and national prosecutors "gather and measure further information" to assistance the tribunal successful determining whether helium should stay detained, court filings say. They person jointly requested to postpone his detention proceeding until June 5 successful the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

In a associated connection from the FBI and CIA, some agencies said that Rush was arrested pursuing a referral from the CIA, aft an interior probe identified "potential violations of law."

The CIA and FBI added they are continuing to analyse the matter.

Jessica Carmichael, a defence lawyer representing Rush, declined to comment.

Rush was charged with 1 number of stealing nationalist money. In an unusual transgression complaint, the FBI accuses Rush of taking the golden bars, "obtaining a fraudulently inflated wage and fraudulently obtaining subject leave" and making a litany of mendacious statements astir his background. The ailment does not specify precisely what alleged behaviour led to the charges.

Between November 2025 and March of this year, Rush allegedly made respective requests to the authorities to get ample amounts of overseas currency and tens of millions of dollars successful golden bars for work-related expenses, the ailment says.

Rush's leader astatine the time, which sources confirmed was the CIA, was not capable to aboriginal find the golden bars oregon find their intended use.

When FBI agents searched his location connected May 18, they recovered astir 303 golden bars, successful a worth estimated to transcend $40 million, the ailment says. They besides recovered $2 cardinal successful U.S. currency and 35 luxury watches.

The FBI besides accused Rush of lying to the U.S. Navy erstwhile helium enlisted successful 1997 by providing them with transcripts and different records falsely indicating helium had earned an undergraduate grade from Clemson University. Because of his ostensible degree, Rush was commissioned arsenic an ensign successful the U.S. Navy Reserves successful 2004 and was honorably discharged successful 2015.

The ailment says helium past applied for employment with the national authorities 3 times, citing degrees from Clemson University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Naval Postgraduate School. He besides listed those schools erstwhile helium applied for his information clearance.

Later, successful 2018, helium submitted an exertion to participate elder enforcement work and claimed to beryllium a postgraduate of the United States Air Force Test Pilot School, arsenic good arsenic the existent manager of trial for a 145-person, 18-aircraft associated Army/Navy weapons trial organization, the ailment says.

"The FBI's probe has revealed that Rush's applications contained mendacious accusation astir his acquisition inheritance and enactment with the United States military," the sworn connection accompanying the ailment says, noting that helium did not postgraduate from Clemson oregon RPI, and ne'er served arsenic a aviator for the Navy.

The FBI besides accused Rush of telling the authorities helium was successful the Navy Reserves adjacent though helium had been honorably discharged, allowing him to assertion tens of thousands of dollars successful compensation for subject leave.