CIA officer arrested with gold bars accused of making up top secret program, sources say

David Rush is under investigation on suspicion of creating a fake spy program and persuading others to take part. The CIA transferred large amounts of money to the sham project, sources say.

WASHINGTON — The CIA officer found with $40 million in gold bars stashed at his home is accused of creating a fake top secret intelligence program to receive government funds for his personal enrichment, according to two people with knowledge of the ongoing investigation.

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David Rush has been accused of exploiting the spy agency’s elaborate secrecy precautions that strictly limit sensitive information around such top secret programs to only those who “need to know,” these people said.

Rush is accused of creating a sham government contract as part of the program, the sources said, and inviting two of his CIA colleagues to participate in helping run it, they said. One of those colleagues transferred millions of dollars to the invented program, the people familiar with the investigation said.