FBI found 303 gold bars in former CIA official’s house

CBS On May 27, federal court records showed that former US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) official David Rush was arrested last week and is being detained to collect and evaluate more information. Rush is currently indicted on one count of theft of public funds.

The arrest warrant was issued after agents of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) searched Rush’s home on May 18, in an investigation into allegations that he lied about his educational background and military background. During the search, agents discovered about 303 gold bars with a total estimated value of more than $40 million, along with two million dollars in cash and 35 expensive watches in Rush’s house.

According to court records and sources, from November 2025 to March 2026, Rush repeatedly asked the CIA for large amounts of foreign currency and gold bars worth tens of millions of dollars to cover work-related expenses.

The CIA over the past months has been unable to locate the gold bars or their intended use, so it opened an internal investigation into Rush and turned the files over to the FBI.

The FBI believes that Rush appropriated the gold bars, received a false salary through fraud, lied on his personal history, and fraudulently obtained military leave. FBI records do not specify what Rush’s actions led to the series of charges.

The agency also accused Rush of lying to the US Navy when he enlisted in 1997 by providing fake transcripts and records, showing that he had graduated from Clemson University. Thanks to this degree, Rush was appointed second lieutenant in the US Navy reserve force in 2004 before being honorably discharged in 2015.

Rush then applied three times for federal jobs and claimed to have degrees from Clemson University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the US Naval Postgraduate School. He also listed these schools when applying for access to classified information.

In 2018, Rush continued to apply to join a high-ranking law enforcement agency and claimed to have graduated from the US Air Force Test Pilot School and was the director of an Army-Navy weapons testing organization.

FBI investigation documents show that Rush’s records contain false information about his education and service in the US military. The FBI also believes that the suspect did not graduate from Clemson University or Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and had never worked as a naval pilot.

The FBI also accused Rush of falsely telling government agencies that he was still in the naval reserves even though he was discharged, thereby receiving tens of thousands of dollars under military leave.