Many people in the workplace struggle with expense reports and imposter syndrome. And then, according to the FBI, there is David J. Rush — a former CIA official who is accused of taking gold bars and bulk cash to his Virginia home while also allegedly lying about his education and military service, according to federal court records.

Rush, a former senior executive service-level CIA employee in Virginia, was arrested on May 19, after FBI agents searching his home seized more than 300 1-kilogram gold bars valued at more than $40 million, according to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Matthew T. Johnson, who works in the counterintelligence division of the FBI’s Washington field office.

“FBI agents also seized approximately $2 million in United States currency,” the document states. “Finally, FBI agents seized approximately 35 luxury watches, many of which were Rolex brand.”

Rush, who is listed as living in Ashburn, Va., is charged with a felony count of theft of public money, according to court documents. He remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service after his request to be released on bond was denied.

Requests for comment from Rush’s defense attorney were not immediately returned. Federal court records show that he waived a preliminary hearing and was scheduled for a detention hearing in Alexandria, Va., on Friday. But Magistrate Judge William E. Fitzpatrick agreed to a request from both sides of the case to postpone that hearing to the morning of June 5.

The CIA says it informed the FBI of its suspicions about Rush, who apparently fell under scrutiny after he began asking for gold bars last November. That’s when he began making “several requests … to obtain a significant quantity of foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bars for work-related expenses,” according to the affidavit.

“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,” a CIA spokesperson told NPR via email, in a statement jointly issued with the FBI.

A review of a storage space Rush used at the CIA found that only part of the cash was there. The agency’s inquiry into the matter is ongoing, but it has not yet found any record of why Rush said he needed the massive amount of money.

The FBI affidavit accuses Rush of taking gold bars and currency, making false statements to the agency and on national security background forms, and filing fraudulent timecards.

Rush holds a Top Secret/Secure Compartmented Information clearance, according to the FBI affidavit. But the agency alleges that beginning with Rush’s successful 2009 CIA job application, he fabricated academic and military achievements that helped him attain that status and, as a result, earn higher wages.

Rush enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1997, and was later commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy Reserves after providing a transcript showing he earned an undergraduate degree from Clemson University, the affidavit states. In three different applications to join the CIA, he claimed to have attained an undergraduate degree from Clemson, along with a master’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, or RPI, and other credentials.

But this spring, registrar offices at both Clemson and RPI told the FBI that their institutions have no record of Rush ever attending classes there.

Similarly, Rush’s alleged claims that he was a military pilot and served in prominent related roles were undermined by records showing he never underwent any evaluations as a pilot and does not hold a pilot’s license, according to the affidavit.

Explaining the allegation of timecard fraud, the FBI says that while military records show Rush was honorably discharged from the Navy Reserves as a lieutenant in 2015, he continued to claim military leave on his timesheets for the next 10 years, and allegedly told the CIA that he had risen to the rank of captain in the Navy Reserves.

“Here we are today. Back at this bridge. When I was a little girl, Dr. King said to us, ‘Children, when I ask you, what do you want, I want you to say freedom.’ And here we are, 61 years later.” 70-year-old Sheyann Webb-Christburg fears progress is being undone in Alabama as the state’s Republican-led Legislature races to redraw the state’s voting map before the midterm elections. Last month, the Supreme Court struck down a key Voting Rights Act protection for minority voters. Now, the extent of that ruling is being tested. After a federal court ruled that the state’s redrawn map discriminates against Black people, Alabama has appealed to the Supreme Court to allow the state to use it. Sheyann says the effort reignites memories of a darker past. “Many people, if they registered to vote back in the 60s, their lives was threatened.” At 8 years old, she witnessed it firsthand. “What happened here on Bloody Sunday?” “As we made our way across this bridge, I’ll never forget seeing the policemen with tear gas. People had begun to be beaten, just trampling over people as if they weren’t human beings. And the picture of Bloody Sunday has never left my heart.” Since the Supreme Court ruling, Republican leaders have moved quickly to break up majority Black districts across the South, including here in Alabama. These two Democratic districts were created to allow Black voters the opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice. But with five months before the midterms, conservatives across the South argue race should not be a factor in the creation of voter districts. “You cannot say that we are all created equal, and that states must treat everyone equal under the law, and then allow a law to sort people based upon race.” “I’m looking forward to the day when Alabama gets a 7-0 congressional representation. It’s consistent with who we are as a very conservative state.” “A reminder that justice matters. Truth matters. Democracy matters because biblical justice protects those who are vulnerable.” In Montgomery, a history of disenfranchisement leaves Alabama’s heavily Democratic Black population fearing their district and their voices will be erased. “Not happy with what’s being done in the statehouse.” “Yeah.” “I feel like I’ve reached the top of the stairs and someone just — and pushed me.” “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” “And pushed my children.” “What would losing representation mean to people in this district?” “There are people who don’t have running water and who have live sewage in their front yards. And it was not until representation was present that those neighbors were actually able to be served. If you have no one at the table who is representing your interest and who is concerned about you, then you know that you will not be represented in the result.” Beyond representation, activists like Anneshia Hardy worry this redistricting battle will cause voters to lose faith in the democratic process. “Folks are like, ‘Are elections still happening? Will it even matter if we go and vote?’ So when you cause that type of confusion, oftentimes it results in disengagement. And that does not just hurt Black folks. That hurts us all.” Crowd: “We’re not going back.” The New York Times reached out to Alabama’s Republican leadership, but they did not acknowledge our interview requests. “Ain’t no power like the power of the people cause the power of the people don’t stop.” It remains unclear which maps will be used in the midterm elections. Until then, advocates are organizing rallies to register their protest. “As a Black woman in this country, just about every right that I have is some type of law that can be overturned. And in my lifetime, I’m actively watching those efforts happen. Even as they dilute the power, we need folks to go and vote. We need folks to continue to show up even more.” In silent defiance, Sheyann marched in Selma again. “Much blood, sweat, and tears were shed in an effort for African Americans to gain their right to vote. We got to fight for them. Even though they are no longer with us, in my mind, they are counting on us.”

A former CIA official was arrested last week after FBI agents allegedly found $40 million worth of gold bars at his home while investigating whether he lied about his educational and military background, according to court records and sources familiar with the matter.

David Rush is currently being held in jail while both his defense attorneys and federal prosecutors “gather and evaluate additional information” to assist the court in determining whether he should remain detained, court filings say. They have jointly requested to postpone his detention hearing until June 5 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

In a joint statement from the FBI and CIA, both agencies said that Rush was arrested following a referral from the CIA, after an internal investigation identified “potential violations of law.”

The CIA and FBI added they are continuing to investigate the matter.

Jessica Carmichael, a defense attorney representing Rush, declined to comment.

Rush was charged with one count of stealing public money. In an unusual criminal complaint, the FBI accuses Rush of taking the gold bars, “obtaining a fraudulently inflated salary and fraudulently obtaining military leave” and making a litany of false statements about his background. The complaint does not specify exactly what alleged conduct led to the charges.

Between November 2025 and March of this year, Rush allegedly made several requests to the government to obtain large amounts of foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bars for work-related expenses, the complaint says.

Rush’s employer at the time, which sources confirmed was the CIA, was not able to later locate the gold bars or determine their intended use.

When FBI agents searched his home on May 18, they found approximately 303 gold bars, in a value estimated to exceed $40 million, the complaint says. They also recovered $2 million in U.S. currency and 35 luxury watches.

The FBI also accused Rush of lying to the U.S. Navy when he enlisted in 1997 by providing them with transcripts and other records falsely indicating he had earned an undergraduate degree from Clemson University. Because of his ostensible degree, Rush was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy Reserves in 2004 and was honorably discharged in 2015.

The complaint says he then applied for employment with the federal government three times, citing degrees from Clemson University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Naval Postgraduate School. He also listed those schools when he applied for his security clearance.

Later, in 2018, he submitted an application to enter senior executive service and claimed to be a graduate of the United States Air Force Test Pilot School, as well as the current director of test for a 145-person, 18-aircraft joint Army/Navy weapons test organization, the complaint says.

“The FBI’s investigation has revealed that Rush’s applications contained false information about his education background and work with the United States military,” the sworn statement accompanying the complaint says, noting that he did not graduate from Clemson or RPI, and never served as a pilot for the Navy.

The FBI also accused Rush of telling the government he was in the Navy Reserves even though he had been honorably discharged, allowing him to claim tens of thousands of dollars in compensation for military leave.