A former senior budget analyst for the U.S. State Department has admitted to embezzling more than $650,000 from the agency over a two-year period, according to federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C.
Levita Almuete Ferrer, 64, who worked during the Biden administration, pleaded guilty this week to stealing government funds while serving in the Office of the Chief of Protocol. Ferrer, a Maryland resident, used her access to a State Department checking account from March 2022 to April 2024 to write herself dozens of checks.
Prosecutors say she issued 63 checks—60 to herself and three to someone she was personally involved with—totaling just over $657,000. Ferrer reportedly used the accounting software QuickBooks to make it look like the checks were going to legitimate vendors. After printing the checks with her name as the payee, she would later change the records to list a real vendor, helping cover her tracks.
On Wednesday, Ferrer formally pleaded guilty to theft of government property and now faces up to 10 years in prison. Her sentencing is set for September 18. As part of the plea deal, she agreed to pay back the full amount stolen and faces a forfeiture order for the same sum.
This isn’t the only recent scandal involving State Department personnel. Just last month, a Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent assigned to protect Secretary of State Marco Rubio was arrested in Brussels after an altercation at a hotel.
According to reports, the agent became belligerent after hotel staff refused to reopen the bar late at night. Things escalated, and police were called. The agent was restrained and taken into custody but released later that day following intervention by the U.S. Embassy.
Rubio was not present during the incident but stayed at the same hotel later that week while attending a NATO meeting.
Some sources close to the situation suggest the agent’s behavior may have been fueled by extreme job stress. DSS shift supervisors reportedly work six or seven days a week and juggle an overwhelming number of responsibilities, from scheduling and evaluations to long shifts in the field.
The State Department has acknowledged the Brussels incident and confirmed an internal investigation is underway.
Meanwhile, Rubio remains a key figure in President Trump’s Cabinet, now serving in multiple high-profile roles including Secretary of State, interim national security adviser, and acting head of USAID.