JAKARTA - Former senior CIA official, David Rush, has been charged with stealing public money after investigators found about 300 gold bars at his house. The value is said to be more than 40 million US dollars. Assuming a rate of around Rp17,800 per US dollar, the value of 40 million US dollars is equivalent to around Rp712 billion.
Citing an NBC News report, Thursday, May 28, Rush previously held a management position and had a very confidential access permit. In court documents, he was said to have secretly kept the gold at home, even though the funds were applied for "work-related costs".
Rush was charged in a criminal complaint filed last week in the Eastern District of Virginia. His lawyer has not responded to a request for comment.
He was also accused of lying about his educational background and his work for almost two decades.
According to court documents, Rush once claimed to have graduated from Clemson University, had a graduate degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, passed an aircraft test at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, was a thesis advisor at the Air Force Institute of Technology, and had been a Navy pilot.
Investigators say the claim is not true. Rush is said to have not graduated from these schools. The Federal Aviation Administration also did not find any pilot certificates or licenses in his name.
The case also highlights the US government's security screening system. People with highly confidential access should pass through strict checks, including financial monitoring, travel, credit records, and other data.
The program is known as continuous vetting. The goal is to detect problems that could make employees vulnerable to being extorted or abusing access.
It is not clear how the investigation into Rush began. It is also not clear when he left the CIA.
In a joint statement, the CIA and FBI said the CIA's internal investigation found alleged violations of the law. CIA Director John Ratcliffe then handed the information over to the FBI.
From November to March, Rush is said to have made several requests for funds, including foreign currency and tens of millions of US dollars in the form of gold bars.
Investigators only found part of the funds in a storage room near his office.
On May 18, federal agents raided Rush's home. They seized about 300 gold bars, about $2 million in cash, and 35 luxury watches, mostly Rolexes.
Court documents accuse Rush of knowingly bringing some of the funds he was applying for the benefit of the work to his home for personal gain.
NBC News reported that the court documents did not mention the institution where Rush worked. However, two people who knew his work history said he worked at the CIA.
One source said most, if not all, of the funds, including foreign currency and gold, had been recovered.
The case is not yet over in court. However, the indictment against Rush is enough to shake because it involves public money, very confidential access, and questions about how closely the US government's security screening system works.
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