David J. Rush, the ex-CIA official accused of stealing $40 million in gold bars from the agency, allegedly lied about earning a master’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy on multiple applications, according to an FBI affidavit.
Rush was arrested on one charge of theft of public money May 19 after FBI agents seized 303 bars of gold — estimated to be worth more than $40 million — from his home in Virginia. Agents also seized $2 million and 35 luxury watches, many of which were Rolexes, according to court documents. An FBI affidavit alleges Rush repeatedly lied about his academic credentials to get a job with a federal agency.
Rush was arrested after CIA Director John Ratcliffe referred the details of an internal investigation, which discovered potential violations of the law, to the FBI, according to a joint statement from the CIA and FBI.
Matthew T. Johnson, the special agent who provided the affidavit, said Rush is alleged to have lied about earning degrees from RPI on applications to work for his employer three times over several years. In a March 2006 application, Rush claimed to have earned a Master of Science in Computing Technology from RPI in 2004.
Rush applied to a job with the federal agency two additional times — once in November 2006 and again in 2009 — before he was ultimately hired. Each time, Rush allegedly claimed he had earned a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from RPI in 2004.
RPI did not respond to a request for comment for this story, but Johnson, in the affidavit, said an investigation determined Rush had never attended or obtained degrees from RPI. Johnson referenced a letter in which an associate registrar for the college stated a student with Rush’s name and date of birth “was not found in our system as attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.”
Johnson said Rush had falsified information that he had earned a Bachelor of Science from Clemson University in South Carolina in each of the three applications as well. An assistant registrar with the institution said records and registration staff were unable to verify if Rush had attended the university.
Rush is also accused of falsifying information that he was a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School when he applied to be a senior executive in 2018. Johnson’s affidavit said that, according to an intelligence analyst in the Federal Aviation Administration, Rush does not have “an FAA certificate/pilots license.”
According to court documents, Rush enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1997 and was a member of the U.S. Navy Reserves from 2004 to 2015 before he was honorably discharged. Johnson accused Rush of engaging in timecard fraud since 2015, claiming he received about $77,000 for 744 hours of military leave after he was discharged.
Court records describe Rush’s role as “a former Senior Executive level employee at a United States Government agency” and indicate that he allegedly requested and received foreign currency and tens of millions of dollars in gold bars from his employer for what he claimed were work-related expenses around November 2025 to March.
In the affidavit, Johnson said Rush’s employer has been unable to determine the intended use of the gold bars and foreign currency.
Rush is currently in custody and has a hearing scheduled for June 5, according to court records. His legal representation could not immediately be reached for comment Saturday.