A former budget analyst for the State Department, who worked during the Biden administration, has admitted to embezzling over $650,000 from the agency over a span of two years, as announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C.
Levita Almuete Ferrer, aged 64, confessed to the improper use of her signature authority over a State Department checking account from March 2022 to April 2024. A resident of Maryland, Ferrer served as a senior budget analyst in the Office of the Chief of Protocol, as reported by the New York Post.
Prosecutors indicated that Ferrer issued 60 checks to herself and three to an individual with whom she had a personal connection. She printed and signed all 63 checks prior to depositing them into her personal bank accounts, the report further elaborated. The total amount of the checks reached $657,347.50, according to the prosecutors.
Additionally, Ferrer, who is also known as Levita Brezovic, attempted to hide the embezzlement by utilizing a QuickBooks account. Prosecutors stated that she listed her own name as the payee in QuickBooks, subsequently printing the checks before making the deposits.
Ferrer regularly modified the payee details in QuickBooks after issuing the checks, substituting her name with that of a legitimate vendor from the State Department. This strategy complicated the process for anyone examining the system to recognize her as the true recipient.
On Wednesday, she entered a guilty plea for the theft of government property and is set to be sentenced on September 18. Ferrer could face a maximum prison term of 10 years, according to The Post.
Under the terms of her plea agreement, Ferrer has committed to reimbursing the U.S. government for the total amount stolen and is also liable for a forfeiture money judgment equivalent to that sum, the report indicated.
Earlier last month, a member of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s security team was apprehended for exhibiting erratic behavior at a hotel in Brussels and engaging in a confrontation with law enforcement in the Belgian city.
The seasoned Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) officer was restrained after becoming furious when staff at the prestigious Hotel Amigo declined to reopen the bar after hours. Sources indicate that the bodyguard turned physically aggressive when hotel personnel, including the night manager, tried to persuade him to return to his room.
Subsequently, the DSS agent clashed with police who were summoned by hotel management for assistance, resulting in his arrest, as reported by the New York Post. The agent was released later that same day following intervention from the US Embassy in Brussels, according to sources who spoke with The Post.
DSS agents are tasked with the protection of U.S. diplomats and diplomatic facilities globally, in addition to investigating crimes such as passport and visa fraud. A State Department official noted that numerous shift supervisors, including the agent who was arrested, are experiencing excessive workloads.
According to a source who spoke to the Washington Examiner, ‘Shift supervisors [on Rubio’s detail] face an overwhelming workload. They are accountable for all agents under their supervision, including scheduling, evaluations, and an excessive amount of administrative tasks, alongside their actual shift responsibilities.’
The source further stated, ‘They are required to work six to seven days a week. I firmly believe that this situation arose from the immense pressure placed on [the agent], and at the very least, [the DSS] should conduct a thorough evaluation of these circumstances in their entirety.’
The Diplomatic Security Service acknowledges the allegations regarding an incident involving an employee in Brussels, Belgium, on March 31, 2025, as stated by a spokesperson from the State Department to the Examiner.
Although we refrain from commenting on specific personnel issues, the allegations are currently under investigation. Rubio has emerged as one of President Trump’s most reliable Cabinet members. In addition to leading the State Department, Trump has appointed him as the interim national security adviser, acting administrator for USAID, and acting archivist for the National Archives and Records Administration.
