A longtime senior budget analyst at the U.S. State Department has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $650,000 over a two-year period, according to federal prosecutors.
Levita Almuete Ferrer, 64, of Maryland, admitted to misusing her authority over a department checking account from March 2022 to April 2024. Ferrer worked in the Office of the Chief of Protocol, where she had the ability to sign checks on behalf of the department.
Federal officials say Ferrer wrote 63 checks—60 to herself and three to someone she had a personal relationship with—totaling more than $657,000. Each check was deposited into her personal bank accounts.
To hide the theft, Ferrer used a QuickBooks accounting system, initially listing herself as the payee. After printing the checks, she would change the digital records to show legitimate vendors as the recipients, making it harder for auditors to detect the fraud.
She pleaded guilty to theft of government property and is scheduled for sentencing on September 18. Ferrer could face up to 10 years in prison. As part of her plea deal, she has agreed to repay the full amount stolen and has been ordered to forfeit the same amount to the government.
In a separate incident earlier this year, a U.S. diplomatic security agent was detained in Brussels after reportedly behaving erratically at a hotel. The agent was said to have become combative when hotel staff refused to reopen the bar after hours. Police were called, and the agent was briefly arrested before being released later that day.
Sources familiar with the matter have said that extreme workloads and long shifts may have contributed to the agent’s behavior. The U.S. State Department confirmed that the incident is under review, but declined to comment on the specific personnel matter.
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