How a CIA officer convinced US government to give him $40M in gold bars — as new allegations about his past are revealed
WASHINGTON — A wannabe spy convinced the CIA to give him $40 million in gold bars by claiming it was for “work-related expenses” — and it was just the latest in a lengthy career full of increasingly brazen lies, according to federal prosecutors.
David Rush made a series of requests to the agency to obtain “a significant quantity” of foreign currency and hundreds of gold bars between November and March, according to a federal affidavit.
Astonishingly, Rush received what he asked for, according to the court documents, and the agency was later unable to locate any record of Rush explaining the work-related purpose for the enormous sums.
When the FBI raided his Virginia home on May 18, they found $2 million in greenbacks, 35 luxury watches — “many of which” were Rolexes — and more than 300 one-kilogram gold bars worth over $40 million.
The price of the precious metal has skyrocketed 164% this year, which sharply increased the value of his alleged scheme.
Dan Meyer, a partner at the law firm Tully Rinckey specializing in security clearance issues, told The Post that the tens of millions of dollars in gold bars and US currency appeared to be “resources to be used in US operations overseas” that were “diverted for his personal use.”
“I doubt this is coming from a foreign source,” he added.
Former CIA staff operations officer Tracy Walder told The Post she was shocked Rush managed to lie his way to his top secret security clearance job and get his hands on so much gold from the agency.
“The fact that this slipped through the cracks makes me concerned that there are other people who slipped through the cracks,” she said.
Having gone through the agency’s rigorous vetting process herself, Walder said it was no casual affair.
Court documents alleged that the FBI’s investigation revealed Rush provided false information about his education and military service for decades — using each lie to attain a higher and higher position in the military and government.
In three separate employment applications to join the CIA, he allegedly falsely claimed to have degrees from Clemson University in South Carolina and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Upstate New York — as well as an evaluation certification from the US Naval Test Pilot School.
None of these claims were accurate, according to the affidavit, nor was an undated assertion in one of the applications that he had attained a master’s degree in computing technology from the Naval Postgraduate School.
But the subterfuge apparently worked for decades, and Rush achieved his dream of working for the CIA, where he allegedly continued exaggerating his accomplishments for advancement and financial gain.
