Ex-Biden State Department Official Pleads Guilty in $650K Embezzlement Scheme
A former senior budget analyst at the U.S. State Department under the Biden administration has admitted to stealing over $650,000 in federal funds over a two-year period, according to an announcement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C.
Levita Almuete Ferrer, 64, of Maryland, pleaded guilty this week to charges of theft of government property. She served in the State Department’s Office of the Chief of Protocol and misused her access to a department checking account from March 2022 to April 2024, The New York Post reported.
Prosecutors said Ferrer issued 63 fraudulent checks—60 to herself and three to a person with whom she had a personal connection. The total amount embezzled reached $657,347.50. Ferrer printed, signed, and deposited each check into her personal bank accounts, according to court filings.
She also used accounting software QuickBooks to disguise the transactions. Officials said she initially listed herself as the payee, printed the checks, and then edited the record in QuickBooks to replace her name with that of a legitimate State Department vendor, making it harder to detect the fraud during internal reviews.
Ferrer, who also goes by Levita Brezovic, is scheduled to be sentenced on September 18 and faces up to 10 years in federal prison. As part of her plea deal, she has agreed to repay the full amount in restitution and will also be subject to a forfeiture judgment for the same total.
Diplomatic Security Agent Arrested in Brussels During Rubio Delegation
In a separate incident, a member of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s security team was arrested in Brussels last month after reportedly causing a disturbance at a luxury hotel and clashing with police.
The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent, part of Rubio’s protective detail, was taken into custody after allegedly becoming aggressive when staff at Hotel Amigo refused to reopen the bar after hours. According to The Post, the agent reacted violently when the hotel’s night manager and staff urged him to return to his room.
Local police were called to assist, and the agent reportedly resisted arrest, leading to a confrontation. He was later released the same day following involvement by the U.S. Embassy in Brussels.
Rubio was not present at the time of the incident, though he stayed at the hotel later that week during a visit for a NATO summit.
DSS agents are responsible for the security of American diplomats and facilities abroad and handle investigations into passport and visa-related crimes.
A State Department source, speaking to the Washington Examiner, noted the demanding workload facing shift supervisors like the arrested agent.
“Shift supervisors [on Rubio’s detail] have an incomprehensible workload,” the source said. “They are responsible for all the agents under them, scheduling, evaluations and a preposterous amount of admin work [as well as] performing the actual shift work.”
“They work six to seven days a week. I truly believe this was the result of incomprehensible strain [the agent] was placed under and, at the very least, [the DSS] owes [them] a very fair evaluation of these circumstances in their totality,” the source added.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed awareness of the incident, stating: “The Diplomatic Security Service is aware of allegations of an incident involving an employee in Brussels, Belgium, on March 31, 2025. While we don’t discuss specific personnel matters, the allegations are being examined.”
Secretary Rubio has become one of President Donald Trump’s most trusted Cabinet members, currently serving not only as head of the State Department, but also as acting national security adviser, interim USAID administrator, and acting archivist of the National Archives.