Ex-US government official arrested after $40 million in gold bars found in home [View all]

Source: BBC

Ex-US government official arrested after $40 million in gold bars found in home

4 hours ago
Sareen Habeshian


FBI agents found 303 gold bars in the home of David Rush, who US media have reported held a senior position in the CIA until recently

A former US government official has been arrested after FBI investigators found hundreds of gold bars worth more than $40 million (£29.6 million) in his Virginia home. ... David Rush made several requests to the US government to receive the bars for "work-related expenses" over the past year, according to court documents. He has been charged with criminal theft of public money in a complaint filed last week.

According to the New York Times, Rush held a senior position in the CIA up until recently. He was arrested and is being held in detention until his hearing this week. His attorney declined to comment. ... Agents also uncovered about $2 million (£1.5 million) in US currency in Rush's home, along with 35 luxury watches, many of them Rolexes.

Rush, who court documents say had top secret clearance and access to classified information, has also been accused of lying about his education and military service when applying for his government job, and fraudulently taking military leave with thousands of dollars in pay. ... Rush is a former senior executive in a US government agency in Virginia, court documents state.

Asked about Rush's case, the FBI said in a written statement that it arrested an individual on 19 May following a referral from the CIA. ... "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," the FBI said.

{snip}

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yezdl054po