FBI raid uncovers $40M gold stash at CIA official’s home

A senior US Central Intelligence Agency official has been arrested after federal investigators discovered over $40 million worth of gold bars at his residence, according to media reports.

David Rush, described by prosecutors as a former senior executive-level employee at a US government agency, is facing charges related to the theft of public money, according to court documents seen by outlets including the New York Times.

Specifically, the court filings allege that Rush had made several requests to the government to receive the bars for “work-related expenses” between November 2025 and March 2026.

Additionally, Rush, who recently held a senior position in the CIA, is being accused of falsifying his academic and military credentials, such as claiming to be a member of the Navy Reserve, to secure military leave pay worth tens of thousands of dollars.

His arrest was made last week after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) acted on information relayed by the Agency.

“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,” a joint statement said.

Following the arrest, FBI agents searched his residence in Virginia, where they found 303 gold bars — valued at about $40 million at current market prices — along with $2 million in cash and nearly three dozen luxury watches, many of them Rolexes.

However, the court papers did not detail reasons why Rush had stashed the gold or currencies.

A detention hearing on his charges is scheduled this week. Rush’s attorney and representatives did not respond to media requests for comments.