CIA officer who stashed $40M in gold detained as flight risk
A former CIA officer who allegedly stole $40 million in gold bars from the government and stashed it at his home in Virginia was ordered detained at a court hearing Friday after a federal judge sided with prosecutors who argued the “master manipulator” posed a severe risk of flight.
David Rush, who worked for 17 years at the agency, has already been held since May 19 in an Alexandria jail following an FBI raid on his Ashburn residence the day before that uncovered the more than 300 one-kilogram gold bars, as well as $2 million in cash and 35 high-end Rolexes and other watches.
The gold bars and currency had been requested for “work-related expenses” between November 2025 and March 2026, according to an FBI affidavit, which also noted that the 49-year-old had fibbed for years about his educational and military background.
“Mr. Rush’s history and characteristics show that he’s a master manipulator,” argued Assistant US Attorney Gavin Tisdale in Friday’s hearing, describing how the ex-spook had been “diversifying funds” to make them more easily tradable.
The federal prosecutor noted that, in addition to the fabrications about his credentials, Rush had “lied about being a doctor” and posed a serious risk of fleeing justice if he were to be released.
Jessica Carmichael, Rush’s defense attorney, rejected prosecutors’ allegations against her client, suggesting the description of the gold bars had been highly sensationalized and “a non-issue.”
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