A former senior official of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been caught after diverting gold bars and cash worth approximately 60 billion won to his home.
According to the New York Post and other foreign media on the 27th (local time), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently conducted a search and seizure at the Virginia home of David Rush, a former senior CIA official. At the search site, authorities discovered a trove of assets worth $40 million (approximately 60.1 billion won), including $2 million in cash (approximately 3.1 billion won), 303 gold bars, and more than 30 luxury Rolex watches.
Rush, who served in a senior CIA position, is reported to have received gold bars and foreign currency from the agency between November of last year and March of this year, citing "business expense purposes." However, during an internal audit, it was discovered that the assets had disappeared entirely from the agency's storage, and the CIA director immediately referred the case to the FBI.
Before searching his home, the FBI first opened the personal safe in Rush's office, but only a small fraction of the received amount remained. Most of the funds had already been moved out.
In addition to charges of asset concealment, Rush has also been indicted on fraud charges. It was revealed that he had been appointed to a senior government position by forging his resume, including his college diploma, and had even impersonated a nonexistent Navy reserve officer status.
The investigation found that Rush enlisted in the Navy in 1997 and was honorably discharged in 2015, with no record of re-enlistment thereafter. Despite this, he forged the status of a Navy captain to collect a salary and additionally pocketed $77,000 (approximately 116 million won) under the pretext of vacation pay.
The FBI is tracking the whereabouts of the remaining diverted funds and investigating whether additional accomplices were involved.
