ALEXANDRIA — David Rush, a former senior officer at the Central Intelligence Agency with Top-Secret clearance, was charged with criminal theft of public money following a federal search of his Alexandria, Virginia, home on May 18. During the search, agents seized approximately 300 gold bars valued at more than $40 million, about $2 million in U.S. currency, and 35 luxury watches, mostly Rolexes.

The complaint, filed in the Eastern District of Virginia, alleges that Rush misappropriated government funds intended for work-related expenses. From November through March, Rush submitted multiple requests for tens of millions of dollars in gold bars and foreign currency, which he said were needed for official use. Investigators later found only a portion of those funds in a storage space near his office and allege he diverted the rest to his residence for personal gain.

According to court documents and an FBI affidavit, Rush also misrepresented his educational and professional background over nearly two decades of government service. He claimed in successive applications to have graduated from Clemson University in 2000, earned a graduate degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, completed training at the U.S. naval test pilot school, and served as a thesis advisor at the Air Force Institute of Technology. Authorities state he did not graduate from either university, and the Federal Aviation Administration has no record of a pilot’s license issued to him. Although Rush served in the Navy Reserves from 2004 to 2015 and was honorably discharged as a lieutenant, the affidavit says he never underwent pilot evaluations during his service.

The CIA referred the case to the FBI after an internal investigation uncovered potential legal violations, according to a CIA statement. FBI agents arrested Rush on May 19, the day after the search, and he remains in custody pending a federal court hearing in Alexandria. His attorney declined to comment.