Federal official arrested after FBI finds $40M in gold bars at his home
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A former senior US government official with a top-secret security clearance was arrested after the FBI raided his Virginia home and found a staggering $40 million in gold bullion, $2 million in cash and 35 luxury watches, court documents reveal.
David J. Rush was arrested May 19 and faces federal charges of theft of public funds after allegedly defrauding the government of tens of millions of dollars by posing as a highly decorated Navy Reserve captain and Air Force test pilot.
Rumor has it that until recently he held a senior position in the CIA. report From the New York Times.
The fraud was uncovered after Rush made multiple requests to his agency between November 2025 and March 2026 for “significant amounts of foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bullion,” according to an undisclosed criminal complaint and FBI affidavit.
Rush claimed the payment was strictly for “business-related expenses,” but an FBI search of his home on May 18 turned up approximately 303 one-kilogram gold bars, $2 million in U.S. currency and dozens of luxury watches, mostly Rolexes, according to court documents.
Authorities said a $40 million stash of gold bullion was found at David Rush’s home in Virginia. (Daniel Barry/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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A federal investigation found that Rush routinely lied about his military background and training despite having a Senior Executive Service (SES) rank and a Top Secret/SCI clearance.
In applications for his top job, Rush claimed to be a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and the “current test director of the 145-person, 18-aircraft joint Army/Navy weapons testing organization,” according to court documents.
But military records show Rush was never a pilot and did not hold an FAA license; His primary duties in the Navy included working as an information systems technician.
Authorities found 35 luxury watches, some of them Rolex watches, in Rush’s home. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg)
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He also allegedly falsified educational information to increase his federal salary by claiming to have a bachelor’s degree from Clemson University and a master’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, according to the filing.
Admission officers at both universities confirmed to the FBI that there was no record of Rush attending their schools.
Furthermore, the FBI alleges Rush defrauded the government of $77,000 in fake military leave by claiming 744 hours of paid leave by telling his employer that he was on active duty as a Navy Reserve captain (O-6) through September 2025.
The FBI announced that $2 million in cash was found during a search of Rush’s home. (Getty Images)
According to court documents, Rush was honorably discharged from the rank of lieutenant (O-3) a decade ago, in February 2015.
He is currently being held in federal custody by the U.S. Marshals Service after a judge initially denied his request for release.
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Rush recently waived his right to a preliminary hearing, and a magistrate judge found probable cause to send the case to a grand jury.
The FBI and CIA did not immediately respond to questions from Fox News Digital.
