# $40 million in gold bars, for 'work-related expenses'

> A former CIA official kept 300 gold bars at home. The charge that caught him was about his timecards.
- Title: $40 million in gold bars, for 'work-related expenses'
- Summary: A former CIA official kept 300 gold bars at home. The charge that caught him was about his timecards. The case against David Rush is a paperwork fraud, and…
- Keywords: cia, fraud, justice department, gold, classified, million, bars, 'work-related, expenses', Fortune
- Source: Fortune — https://fortune.com/2026/09/12/former-cia-official-40-million-gold-bars-work-related-expenses-plea-deal
- Author: The Associated Press
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: cia, fraud, justice department, gold, classified
## A plea deal, quietly
David J. Rush, the former CIA official found with $40 million in gold bars at home, has reached a tentative plea agreement on a theft charge, court records show.
## The clock runs to October
A federal judge on Friday pushed the deadline to formally indict Rush to Oct. 8, giving both sides time to finish the deal.
## Why nobody wants a trial
Prosecutors and Rush's attorney told the court a public trial could mean heavy litigation over classified material. The joint filing gave no details of the deal.
## The actual charge is paperwork
Rush was charged in May with theft of public money: claiming 744 hours of military leave after his 2015 Navy discharge, and inflating his salary with degrees he did not have.
## What the FBI found at home
Agents searched his house and seized about 300 gold bars worth more than $40 million, roughly $2 million in cash, and about 35 luxury watches.
## 'A sensational tidbit'
The affidavit says Rush got the bars from the government for work-related expenses. His lawyer says they have nothing to do with the charge. A DOJ attorney said he was not supposed to have them at home.

> a sensational tidbit
## Key takeaway

The case against David Rush is a paperwork fraud, and the gold his lawyer calls a 'sensational tidbit' has not been charged at all.