Levita Almuete Ferrer, 64, of Montgomery Village, Maryland, admitted this week that she stole approximately $650,000 from the United States Department of State over the course of two years.

Special Agent in Charge Benjamin Brockschmidt of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Inspector General, Deputy Assistant Director William Ferrari of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service Office of Special Investigations, and U.S. Attorney Edward Martin announced the guilty plea, according to the New York Post.

From March 2022 to April 2024, Ferrer, who also went by the name Levita Brezovic, was a senior budget analyst in the Office of the Chief of Protocol at the State Department and carried out her ploy. During this time, she says she abused her signature authority over a State Department bank account.

She made 60 checks payable to herself and 3 checks payable to someone she knew from her personal life.

The total amount of the 63 checks was $657,347.50, and she deposited them all into her personal bank and savings accounts after printing and signing them.

The coverup

Attempting to conceal her lucrative plot, Ferrer utilized a shared QuickBooks account within the State Department.

Frequently, after printing checks from QuickBooks with her name as the payee, she would alter the stated payee in QuickBooks to a legitimate vendor from the State Department.

Consequently, Ferrer's name was not visible as the payee on the checks to anyone seeing those entries in QuickBooks until an audit trail was followed.

After Ferrer pleaded guilty to stealing from the government, U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper scheduled sentencing for September 18, 2025.

The punishment

Judge Cooper will consider the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors while deciding on a sentence for Ferrer, who faces a significant amount of time in jail.

Ferrer admitted guilt and agreed to pay $657,347.50 in reparations to the United States government as part of her plea deal.

She has also agreed to pay the same amount as her liability for a forfeiture judgment.

The Diplomatic Security Service and the Office of the Inspector General of the State Department were the investigating parties who found out the scheme.

What happens now

With the help of Paralegal Specialist Sona Chaturvedi, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman is prosecuting the case, which has made headlines nationwide.

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Orville performed crucial investigative work, which allowed for justice to be meted out.

The sentencing hearing for Ferrer, who admitted to stealing from the government, is scheduled for September 18th. She is facing a maximum of ten years behind bars, if she is sentenced to the harshest extent possible.