$40m in Rolex watches, gold bars and cash seized from former CIA official
A former senior CIA official has been arrested after the FBI raided his home in Virginia.
A $40 million stash of gold bars, $2 million in cash and 35 luxury watches were discovered, court documents revealed.
David J. Rush was arrested on May 19 and now faces federal charges for theft of public money.
These charges come as it was also alleged that Rush swindled the government out of tens of millions of dollars while posing as a decorated Navy Reserve captain and Air Force test pilot.
According to a Fox News report, the arrest followed a referral from the CIA.
In a joint statement, the FBI and CIA explained: “After a CIA internal investigation identified potential violations of the law, CIA Director John Ratcliffe referred the information to the FBI for a law enforcement investigation.”
Adding “The FBI is working closely with our partners at the CIA and the Department of Justice as we continue to investigate this matter fully. We are committed to following the facts, ensuring accountability, and pursuing justice in accordance with the law.”
Fox News went on to detail that according to an unsealed criminal complaint and FBI affidavit, the alleged crime came to light after Rush made requests to his agency between November 2025 and March 2026 for a “significant quantity of foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bars.”
Rush claimed the payout was strictly for “work-related expenses,” but an FBI search of his home on May 18 turned up roughly 303 one-kilogram gold bars, $2 million in U.S. currency and dozens of luxury watches, many of which were Rolex, according to court documents.
He is currently being held in federal custody by the U.S. Marshals after a judge initially denied his request for release. Rush also waived his right to a preliminary hearing, and a magistrate judge found probable cause to move the case to a grand jury.
