Ex-CIA official with $40 million in gold bars reaches tentative plea deal

September 13, 2026 at 04:37 AM2 min

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Former CIA official David J. Rush reached a tentative plea agreement on charges of theft of public money after investigators found about $40 million in gold bars at his home. A federal judge extended the indictment deadline to Oct. 8 to allow prosecutors and Rush's attorney to finalize the deal. The plea would avoid a public trial involving significant litigation over classified material.

Key Facts

David J. Rush was charged in May with theft of public money for fraudulently claiming 744 hours of military leave and inflating his salary with false degrees from Clemson University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Investigators seized about 300 gold bars worth more than $40 million, about $2 million in U.S. currency, and about 35 luxury watches from Rush's home.
A federal judge extended the deadline to formally indict Rush until Oct. 8, 2026.
The FBI affidavit stated Rush obtained the gold bars from the U.S. government for "work-related expenses."
A Justice Department attorney said during a June court proceeding that Rush was not supposed to have the gold bars at his home.

Plea Agreement

A joint court filing by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and Rush's lawyer did not outline the details of the tentative plea deal. The U.S. attorney's office declined to comment on Saturday, and Rush's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The parties said a public trial could involve significant litigation over classified material.

Charges and Evidence

Rush was accused of fraudulently claiming 744 hours of military leave on his timecards after being honorably discharged from the Navy in 2015. He also allegedly inflated his salary by falsely claiming degrees from Clemson University in South Carolina and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, according to an FBI agent's affidavit. The same affidavit revealed that investigators seized about 300 gold bars worth more than $40 million, about $2 million in U.S. currency, and about 35 luxury watches from Rush's home. Rush's attorney said the charge against him is not related to the gold bars, which she described as "a sensational tidbit."