Jessica Aber, the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was found dead over the weekend at age 43, as authorities continue investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.
According to The New York Post, Aber had been overseeing several high-profile national security and international fraud cases before stepping down from her role earlier this year. Her body was discovered at her home in Alexandria shortly before 9:20 a.m. Saturday. The cause of death has not yet been confirmed, though a family friend told NBC News that police believe a pre-existing medical condition may be responsible. No signs of foul play have been found, according to two former senior Justice Department officials familiar with the case.
Appointed by President Joe Biden, Aber led several major investigations involving CIA intelligence leaks, international sanctions violations, and Russian cybercrime networks. One of her most prominent cases involved former CIA analyst Asif Rahman, who pleaded guilty to leaking classified documents in 2023 that revealed Israeli plans for a retaliatory strike on Iran. Rahman had posted the documents on Telegram, forcing Israel to delay its military response.
In court, Aber strongly condemned Rahman’s actions, stating that the leak “placed lives at risk, undermined U.S. foreign relations, and compromised our ability to collect vital intelligence in the future.”
Aber also prosecuted the case against Eleview International Inc., a Virginia-based company accused of illegally exporting sensitive U.S. technology to Russia. Executives Oleg Nayandin and Vitaliy Borisenko were charged in November with orchestrating three separate schemes to evade U.S. sanctions by routing over $6 million in goods—including telecommunications equipment—through third countries like Turkey, Finland, and Kazakhstan.
The charges came just two months after Aber secured indictments against Russian nationals Sergey Ivanov and Timur Shakhmametov, who were allegedly involved in one of the largest online money laundering operations ever uncovered. The scheme reportedly supported cybercrime marketplaces, ransomware groups, and hackers responsible for significant breaches of U.S. financial infrastructure. The U.S. government had placed a $10 million reward for information leading to their capture.
Aber also played a leading role in the Justice Department’s unprecedented war crimes indictment of four Russian soldiers accused of torturing an American citizen during Russia’s occupation of Ukraine. According to the DOJ, the American victim was kidnapped from his home in the Kherson region, beaten, tortured, and subjected to a mock execution. The indictment named Russian commanders Suren Seiranovich Mkrtchyan and Dmitry Budnik, along with two lower-ranking soldiers identified only as Valerii and Nazar.
“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,” Aber said at the time.
Jessica Aber’s legal career began after graduating from William & Mary Law School in 2006. A native of Virginia and a 2003 graduate of the University of Richmond, she joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in 2009 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. From 2015 to 2016, she served as counsel to the assistant attorney general in the DOJ’s Criminal Division before being appointed U.S. Attorney in 2021.
The official cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner in the coming days.
Leave a Reply