Jessica Aber, the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was found dead in her Alexandria home early Saturday. The 43-year-old attorney was discovered unresponsive by Alexandria Police at around 9:20 a.m. Officials are now investigating the cause of her death.
Aber was known for handling some of the nation's most sensitive cases, including prosecutions linked to CIA intelligence leaks and Russian fraud operations inside the U.S. Her sudden death has shocked the legal and intelligence communities.
One of Aber's most notable courtroom victories came last year when ex-CIA analyst Asif Rahman, 34, pleaded guilty to leaking top-secret documents. The files detailed Israel's plans for a military strike on Iran. Rahman shared the information via Telegram, which forced Israel to delay its operations against Tehran. At the time, Aber strongly criticized Rahman, calling his actions "a violation of his oath" that risked American lives and undermined U.S. foreign relations.
Aber also led the Justice Department's case against Eleview International Inc., a Virginia-based company accused of shipping sensitive U.S. technology to Russia. According to the DOJ, executives Oleg Nayandin, 54, and Vitaliy Borisenko, 39, illegally exported over $6 million in goods, including telecommunications equipment. The shipments, which moved through Turkey, Finland, and Kazakhstan, were meant to sidestep U.S. sanctions on Moscow following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
In addition, Aber helped secure charges against two Russian nationals, Sergey Ivanov and Timur Shakhmametov, who were accused of operating one of the largest online money laundering networks. The pair, who had a $10 million reward on their heads, allegedly helped cybercriminals and ransomware groups launder money through dark web marketplaces, causing major breaches of U.S. financial systems.
Aber's work extended beyond fraud and espionage cases. She was involved in the DOJ's historic indictment of four Russian soldiers accused of committing war crimes against an American citizen in Ukraine. The victim, whose identity was not released, was kidnapped, tortured, and subjected to a mock execution in the Kherson region. The indicted soldiers included two commanding officers and two lower-ranking troops.
"We are proud to be at the forefront of the Justice Department's effort to hold war criminals accountable," Aber said at the time. Her commitment to justice made her a respected figure within the department.
Aber was born and raised in Virginia. She graduated from the University of Richmond in 2003 and earned her law degree from William & Mary Law School in 2006. She joined the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in 2009 and later served as counsel to the assistant attorney general for the DOJ's Criminal Division from 2015 to 2016. She was named U.S. Attorney for the district under President Biden.
Aber resigned from her post in January. In an earlier interview, she said she traveled over 50,000 miles across Virginia in her Hyundai to meet local communities and restore trust in law enforcement.
In one of her final LinkedIn posts, Aber shared a group photo of U.S. attorneys at a 2024 conference, signed by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland. "It was lovely, though, to receive this surprise in the mail," she wrote. "Good memories."
