5 days ago
A elder intelligence operative accused of stealing hundreds of gold bars worthy much than $40m and hiding them astatine location remained successful custody successful Virginia connected Friday aft a judge pushed his first tribunal quality to adjacent week.
David Rush, a erstwhile executive service-level worker for nan Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), is alleged to person taken 303 bullion bars, each weighing 2.2lb (1kg), and much than $2m successful overseas currency, from his authorities office, according to an eight-page FBI affidavit.
He was arrested past week and charged pinch stealing nationalist money aft a hunt warrant executed astatine his location “in nan eastbound territory of Virginia” besides turned up 35 luxury watches, galore of them Rolex.
“On aliases astir November 2025 done connected aliases astir March 2026, Rush made respective requests to nan [United States government] to get a important amount of overseas rate and tens of millions of dollars successful golden bars for work-related expenses,” FBI typical supplier Matthew Johnson wrote successful nan criminal complaint, revenge successful US territory tribunal successful nan eastbound territory of Virginia.
The archive did not explicate what Rush intended to do pinch nan golden and cash, which was discovered missing from an agency he utilized astatine a authorities retention space.
The theft of nationalist money complaint relates not to nan bullion aliases currency, but to nan allegation that Rush falsified his acquisition qualifications and subject work to unafraid his occupation pinch nan CIA, which he joined successful 2009 and secured “top secret/secure compartmented accusation clearance”, according to nan FBI.
Rush is besides alleged to person committed timecard fraud.
“Since being honorably discharged successful February 2015, Rush has claimed 744 hours of subject time off connected his charismatic timesheet, representing astir $77,000 successful compensation,” Johnson wrote, adding that Rush near nan navy arsenic a lieutenant but represented himself successful nan navy reserves arsenic a captain.
He besides falsely claimed to person been a navy pilot, Johnson wrote.
A associated connection from nan CIA and nan FBI said Rush was arrested connected 19 May. “After a CIA soul investigation identified imaginable violations of nan law, CIA head John Ratcliffe referred nan accusation to nan FBI for a rule enforcement investigation,” it said, according to nan New York Times.
Rush was denied enslaved and nan magistrate judge William Fitzpatrick connected Thursday agreed to postpone a detention proceeding until 5 June.
