A former senior CIA officer is facing federal accusations that he walked off with gold bars and millions of dollars in cash that had been stored at a CIA facility — and the FBI says agents found the stash at his Virginia home.
David Rush is charged with theft and making false statements, according to the FBI. The gold and cash had been kept in a CIA storage space before it went missing. Investigators traced it back to Rush.
The investigation
Agents recovered the trove from Rush’s Virginia residence. The FBI hasn’t publicly detailed how much the gold and cash were worth, how long the items had been missing, or how Rush allegedly moved them out of CIA storage without detection.
Theft from a federal agency and making false statements to investigators are serious federal offenses — the kind that carry substantial prison time if Rush is convicted. He hasn’t been found guilty of anything yet; the charges are accusations.
Rush’s exact rank and what division he worked in at the CIA haven’t been disclosed in available court or agency records. The CIA didn’t immediately offer any comment on the case, according to NPR, which first reported the charges Wednesday, May 28, 2026.
It’s also not clear from the available record whether Rush has retained an attorney or entered a plea. No trial date has been announced.
Reporting by NPR. Read the original report.
