Aber’s Legal Legacy: High-Profile Cases Against Leaks, Russian Fraud, and War Crimes

Part 2 Content:
During her tenure as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Jessica Aber played a leading role in prosecuting complex international and national security cases that drew significant attention across the intelligence and legal communities.

One of her most notable cases involved Eleview International Inc., a Virginia-based company accused of illegally exporting sensitive U.S. technology to Russia. Executives Oleg Nayandin, 54, and Vitaliy Borisenko, 39, were charged with orchestrating “three separate schemes to illegally transship sensitive U.S. technology to Russia,” including over $6 million in telecommunications equipment routed through Turkey, Finland, and Kazakhstan to avoid U.S. sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Aber also directed the prosecution of two Russian nationals, Sergey Ivanov and Timur Shakhmametov, who faced fraud and money laundering charges linked to one of the largest cybercrime operations targeting U.S. financial systems. According to federal officials, the scheme “catered to major cybercrime marketplaces and ransomware groups,” placing a $10 million reward on the defendants.

Her commitment to justice extended beyond cybercrime and sanctions enforcement. Aber helped spearhead an unprecedented Department of Justice indictment against four Russian soldiers accused of war crimes against an American citizen in Ukraine’s Kherson region. The victim, according to prosecutors, was abducted, beaten, tortured, and subjected to a mock execution. The indictment named commanding officers Suren Seiranovich Mkrtchyan, 45, and Dmitry Budnik, along with two lower-ranking soldiers identified 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.

A Virginia native, Aber graduated from the University of Richmond in 2003 and earned her law degree from William & Mary Law School in 2006. After joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2009, she went on to serve as counsel to the assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s Criminal Division before being appointed U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Her sudden passing marks the loss of a respected legal mind who dedicated her career to upholding justice, protecting national security, and ensuring accountability in some of the nation’s most sensitive cases.