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The FBI said there’s probable cause to believe that David Rush “knowingly embezzled, stole, purloined, or knowingly converted a thing of value of the United States” for his personal use.
Representative ImageA former senior CIA official has been arrested after being accused of stealing hundreds of gold bars worth more than $40 million from the federal government, which the investigators found stashed in his Virginia residence.
David Rush, the CIA official with top secret-level clearance, was arrested and charged with criminal theft of public money last week, according to federal court filings. He is awaiting a detention hearing.
What are the charges against the CIA official?
According to The New York Times, citing court filings, the only charge against Rush is that he inflated his academic credentials and obtained tens of thousands of dollars in military leave pay. The authorities say he falsely claimed to be a member of the Navy Reserve when he was discharged.
From November to March, Rush requested and received a “significant quantity of foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bars for work-related expenses,” according to an affidavit from an FBI agent investigating the case.
The affidavit said it's unclear what Rush intended to use the funds for, but that a portion of it was found in a storage space near his office.
The FBI affidavit concluded that there’s probable cause to believe that Rush “knowingly embezzled, stole, purloined, or knowingly converted a thing of value of the United States” for his personal use.
The FBI said it was working with the CIA and the Department of Justice in its investigation.
Rush's lawyer declined to comment.
What did the Feds find at the CIA official's residence?
Federal officials searched his home on May 18 and seized more than 300 gold bars with an estimated value of more than $40 million, according to the affidavit.
They also seized roughly $2 million in US currency and some 35 luxury watches, many of them Rolexes. Rush was arrested the next day, the FBI said.
Who is David Rush?
David Rush's role at the CIA or when he left the agency is not clear, reported AP. However, according to a NYT report, he held a senior position at the CIA “until very recently”.
In court filings, he has been described simply as a “former senior executive service-level employee at a United States government agency."
The FBI affidavit also notes that Rush appears to have lied for years about his education and military background. The bureau's investigation found he had falsely claimed to be a Navy pilot and that he'd graduated from Clemson University in South Carolina and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York.
Instead, they found he had enlisted in the Navy in 1997 and then served in the U.S. Navy Reserves from 2004 until 2015, when he was honourably discharged as a lieutenant. The affidavit states he does not appear to have undergone any evaluations as a pilot during that time, and he did not attend either college.
Rush is being held in custody pending a hearing on Friday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.
(With agency inputs)
English (US) ·