Days Before Siemens Spain CEO's Fatal Helicopter Crash, US Attorney Who Oversaw Espionage Case Against Company Was Also Found Dead

New York: A tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Agustin Escobar, the President and CEO of Siemens Spain, along with his wife and three children near Manhattan’s West Side last week, has stirred fresh curiosity around a troubling coincidence. The incident comes just days after the sudden death of Jessica Aber, a former top US federal prosecutor, who was found dead at her residence.

The deaths, though officially unrelated, are prompting questions due to their close timing and previous connections to controversies involving the German industrial giant.

Talked to a number of my pilot friends -“This isn’t normal.” What was Siemens CEO Agustin Escobar, working on? pic.twitter.com/blRshCKqAd

— Grant Cardone (@GrantCardone) April 11, 2025

Jessica Aber Found Dead in Her Virginia Home

On March 22, Jessica Aber, former US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was found unresponsive in her Alexandria residence in Virginia.

According to a statement issued by her family and the Alexandria Police Department, the 43-year-old had long suffered from epilepsy and died in her sleep due to complications from the neurological condition. “Detectives found no evidence suggesting that her death was caused by anything other than natural causes,” the police said, as quoted by NBC News.

Aber, who held one of the most prominent legal positions in Virginia, was known for her leadership on several high-stakes prosecutions involving organised crime, international money laundering, and corporate malfeasance.

Aber’s Role in Siemens Espionage Case

Among the many high-profile cases she led, Aber notably spearheaded the prosecution of Siemens Energy in a corporate espionage scandal that drew international attention in 2023. Under her supervision, Siemens Energy pleaded guilty to stealing confidential data from a competitor.

The case ended with Siemens agreeing to pay a $104 million fine. According to a Department of Justice press release at the time, the company admitted to illegally acquiring proprietary information in an attempt to gain a competitive edge in the energy sector. The case was widely seen as a major enforcement action against intellectual property theft in the corporate world.

Past Suicide of Siemens CFO Raises Eyebrows

The deaths of Escobar and Aber come nearly a decade after another senior Siemens executive died under distressing circumstances. Heinz-Joachim Neubuerger, Siemens’ former Chief Financial Officer, died by suicide in February 2015, just two months after reaching a financial settlement with the company over his role in one of Germany’s largest corporate bribery scandals.

Neubuerger, who served as CFO from 1998 to 2006, was linked to a $1 billion bribery operation the company allegedly used to secure global contracts.

No Evidence of Link Between the Deaths

Although authorities in both the US and Germany have not indicated any links between the three deaths, the temporal proximity and past legal run-ins of the parties involved have nonetheless fuelled speculation. Escobar’s death is currently being treated as accidental, with the helicopter crash still under investigation by the aviation authorities.

As per reports, the aircraft, operated by New York Helicopters, had only been airborne for 15 minutes after taking off from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport before it crashed down into the Hudson River. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed with New York Post that all six people on board had died.