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The ex-CIA official, David Rush, was arrested on May 19, a day after the FBI raided his home and found the allegedly misappropriated gold.
A former senior CIA official has been implicated in a scheme to apparently steal some $40 million in gold bars that he has obtained from the government for unspecified “work-related expenses.”
According to charging papers, the FBI initially investigated Rush for lying on his resume. For instance, Rush allegedly said in an application to enter the “senior executive service” level ranks that he was the “director of test” for a joint Army/Navy weapons test organization. However, his military records showed that he separated from the Navy in 2015.
As its investigation progressed, the FBI allegedly found that Rush made several requests to the government to obtain a “significant quantity” of foreign currency, as well as tens of millions of dollars in gold bars, for “work-related expenses” from last November to March.
The charging papers don’t explain what those work-related expenses entail, nor do they identify Rush as having worked for the CIA. It was the New York Times that reported Rush’s CIA background. Presumably, the gold was intended to be used for a covert operation.
The charging papers do say that the gold went missing from the government storage space where it was supposed to have been held. Agents allegedly found it at Rush’s home when executing a search warrant on May 18.
“During the search, FBI agents seized approximately 303 gold bars, each of which weighs approximately one kilogram,” court records say. “Based on the current price of gold, the estimated value of the gold exceeds $40 million.”
The charging papers also say that agents seized about $2 million in U.S. currency, as well as 35 luxury watches.