Ex-CIA official accused of stashing $40m in gold bars is 'master manipulator', prosecutors say

The former CIA official has been charged with theft of public funds relating to timesheet claims he made.

A federal judge has ordered the pretrial detention of David J. Rush, a former senior CIA official, who is accused of stashing over $40 million worth of gold bars, along with $2 million in cash and 35 luxury watches, in his Virginia home. Rush faces charges of fraudulently obtaining compensation for military leave after being honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 2015.

David J. Rush, a former senior CIA official found with more than $40 million worth of gold bars in his house, allegedly created a fake, highly classified intelligence program that he used as a conduit to funnel millions of dollars for his personal use, according to people familiar with the criminal investigation.

A judge ordered the detention of an ex-CIA official found with gold bars worth about $40 million in his home last month. U.S. Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick said in a detention hearing Friday that David Rush must remain in custody pending trial, determining that he poses a severe flight risk.

The former CIA officer accused of stealing more than $40 million worth of gold bars and stashing them inside his northern Virginia home was ordered detained as his criminal case moves forward, a federal judge ruled on Friday. U.S. Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick ordered defendant David Rush to remain in detention following a hearing in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, deeming him a flight risk.