Ex-CIA official accused of stashing $40m in gold bars is a 'master manipulator', prosecutors say

Ex-CIA official accused of stashing $40m in gold bars is a 'master manipulator', prosecutors say1 hour agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleNardine SaadGetty ImagesA former CIA official accused of stashing millions in gold bars at his Virginia home is a "master manipulator" who lied to his neighbours about being a pilot and leveraged his "access to seniority", US prosecutors say.Siding with the federal government, a judge on Friday ruled David Rush, 49, was a severe flight risk with the means and motive to evade detection, and must remain in jail until his trial.His defence pushed back on "sensational" allegations against him, arguing that some claims "sound bizarre and secretive" because the nature of intelligence work "can be bizarre and secretive". The government also says it found millions in cash and dozens of luxury watches during its search.Ex-US government official arrested after $40m in gold bars found in homeAt a hearing in Virginia on Friday, government lawyers said Rush "cannot be trusted" and is "fully willing and able to skirt the rules", according to the BBC's US media partner, CBS News.Rush is a former senior executive in a US government agency in Virginia and had top secret clearance and access to classified information, court documents state. CBS News reported he worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the FBI has said it conducted the investigation and search after receiving a referral from the CIA.Rush was charged with criminal theft of public money in a complaint filed last month, and currently faces a single charge related to allegedly fraudulent time-sheets amounting to around $70,000 (£52,424).Between November 2025 and March 2026, Rush received gold bars and foreign currency for "work-related expenses", according to court filings. But he allegedly did not document what he did with them and the CIA was unable to locate the bars.The FBI...