Politics is fast. We're faster. Sign up to the DC Insider newsletter for a front-row seat to Washington... and unlock 3 FREE months of DailyMail+ HERE See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy CHASE HOPE Published: 18:17 BST, 28 May 2026 | Updated: 19:59 BST, 28 May 2026
A senior CIA official has been arrested after FBI agents raided his home and found more than 300 gold bars worth over $40 million, $2 million in cash and 35 luxury watches - many of them Rolexes.David Rush, who held top-secret clearance, was taken into custody in Alexandria, Virginia, last Sunday after agents discovered the mind-blowing fortune. Mystery surrounds Rush's arrest with the only formal charge currently against him related to $77,000 in allegedly fraudulent military leave payments.But an FBI affidavit suggests more charges could follow.Rush requested from the government 'a significant quantity of foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bars for work-related expenses' between November 2025 and March 2026, the court papers say. Rush, who is described as a 'Senior Executive Service level' employee, received the currency and gold bars.The affidavit does not reveal why Rush would need such a large quantity of gold and money.An initial review of Rush's office found only a portion of the currency he had received remained. David Rush, who had top-secret clearance in the CIA, was taken into custody last Sunday in Alexandria, Virginia , after the mind-blowing fortune was discoveredThe subsequent raid then uncovered 303 gold bars, weighing around 2lbs each, $2 million in US dollars, and a haul of luxury watches.The affidavit alleges that 'there is probable cause' to suspect that Rush 'knowingly embezzled, stole, purloined, or knowingly converted' the property of the United States.The FBI alleges a pattern of dishonesty dating back to his employment by the Navy. In 2004, seven years after he had enlisted, he provided a transcript purporting to show that he had obtained a bachelor's degree from Clemson University.He was commissioned as an officer 'based on his obtaining a degree' and rose to lieutenant before his discharge, the affidavit says. Clemson told the FBI its staff 'were unable to verify that David John Rush attended the institution.'Rush applied for an unspecified CIA position three times before being hired from 2006 onwards, each time giving a different account of his educational and professional experience. He claimed the same bachelor's degree from Clemson, added a degree from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and on one occasion claimed a qualification from the Naval Postgraduate School. Gold bars [file photo]Like Clemson, RPI had no record of the ex-government employee's attendance.He's also alleged to have falsely claimed he was a qualified pilot.The FBI alleges that he made fraudulent claims about his qualifications to inflate his government salary. Rush's attorney declined to comment.He will attend his first court appearance Friday.
