Former U.S. Attorney Jessica Aber, 43, Found Dead While Handling Major CIA Leak and Russian Fraud Cases
Jessica Aber, the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was found dead over the weekend while still tied to some of the most sensitive and high-profile cases in recent Justice Department history. She was 43.
According to Alexandria police, officers responded to Aber’s home just before 9:20 a.m. Saturday, where she was found unresponsive. Authorities said the cause and manner of death will be determined by the medical examiner. Two former senior Justice Department officials told NBC News that investigators have found no evidence of foul play. A family friend said police believe she died from a longstanding medical condition.
Career Defined by High-Stakes Prosecutions
Appointed by President Biden, Aber served as U.S. Attorney until January, overseeing a wide range of high-profile national security and fraud prosecutions. The New York Post reported that she had been leading major cases targeting leaks from within the CIA as well as schemes involving Russian nationals accused of fraud in the United States.
One of her most prominent courtroom victories came last year when former CIA analyst Asif Rahman, 34, pleaded guilty to leaking top-secret documents that revealed Israel’s planned military strike on Iran in October. Rahman posted the material on the encrypted messaging platform Telegram, which forced Israel to delay its retaliatory attack on Tehran.
Aber condemned Rahman’s actions in court as a “violation of his oath, his responsibility, and the law,” warning that the disclosure “placed lives at risk, undermined U.S. foreign relations, and compromised our ability to collect vital intelligence in the future.”
Russian Technology Smuggling Case
Aber also led the prosecution of Eleview International Inc., a Virginia-based company accused of orchestrating “three separate schemes to illegally transship sensitive U.S. technology to Russia,” according to the Justice Department. In November, executives Oleg Nayandin, 54, and Vitaliy Borisenko, 39, were charged with illegally exporting more than $6 million worth of telecommunications equipment to Russia.
Prosecutors allege the shipments were routed through Turkey, Finland, and Kazakhstan to bypass U.S. sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The case underscored the DOJ’s efforts to crack down on sanctions evasion and illicit technology transfers benefiting Moscow.
Cybercrime and Money Laundering Network
Just two months before the Eleview indictments, Aber announced charges against two Russian nationals, Sergey Ivanov and Timur Shakhmametov, who were wanted in connection with one of the largest online money laundering operations ever uncovered. The Justice Department said the pair catered to major cybercrime marketplaces, ransomware groups, and hackers responsible for some of the most damaging data breaches against U.S. financial infrastructure. The U.S. government had offered a $10 million reward for information leading to their capture.
Historic War Crimes Indictment
Aber’s portfolio also extended to the Justice Department’s first-of-its-kind indictment of four Russian soldiers accused of committing war crimes against an American citizen in Ukraine’s Kherson region.
According to the DOJ, the victim was abducted from his home, brutally beaten, tortured, and subjected to a mock execution. The defendants included commanding officers Suren Seiranovich Mkrtchyan, 45, and Dmitry Budnik, along with two lower-ranking soldiers identified only as Valerii and Nazar.
Announcing the charges, Aber said, “We are proud to be at the forefront of the Justice Department’s effort to hold perpetrators of war crimes violations accountable in Ukraine and will continue to pursue them.”
Legacy and Early Career
Born and raised in Virginia, Aber graduated from the University of Richmond in 2003 before earning her law degree from William & Mary Law School in 2006. She began her career as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia in 2009 and, from 2015 to 2016, served as counsel to the assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s Criminal Division.
Her tenure as U.S. Attorney placed her at the center of cases with sweeping geopolitical implications, from intelligence leaks to international sanctions enforcement.
Jessica Aber’s sudden death closes the chapter on a career devoted to prosecuting crimes that reached far beyond U.S. borders — cases involving espionage, global cybercrime, and war crimes. While officials maintain there is no sign of foul play, the investigations she handled will remain part of her enduring legacy in the Justice Department.