Levita Almuete Ferrer, aged 64, from Montgomery Village, Maryland, has admitted guilt today for embezzling in excess of $650,000 from the U.S. State Department over a span of two years.

The admission of guilt was declared by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Special Agent in Charge Benjamin Brockschmidt from the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Inspector General, and Deputy Assistant Director William Ferrari of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service Office of Special Investigations.

In connection with her guilty plea, Ferrer, also recognized as Levita Brezovic, acknowledged that she misused her signature authority on a State Department checking account from March 2022 to April 2024 while serving as a Senior Budget Analyst in the Office of the Chief of Protocol. She issued 60 checks made out to herself and three checks to another person with whom she had a personal relationship. She printed and signed each check before depositing all 63 checks, amounting to $657,347.50, into her personal checking and savings accounts.

Ferrer sought to hide her scheme by utilizing a shared Quickbooks account at the State Department. After designating herself as the payee on checks within Quickbooks and subsequently printing them, she frequently altered the payee designation in Quickbooks from her name to that of a legitimate State Department vendor. Consequently, individuals reviewing those entries in the Quickbooks system would not observe Ferrer’s name as the payee on the checks unless they examined the audit trail.

U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper has accepted Ferrer’s guilty plea regarding the theft of government property and has scheduled a sentencing hearing for September 18, 2025. Ferrer could receive a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. Judge Cooper will decide the final sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other relevant statutory considerations.

In accordance with her plea agreement, Ferrer consented to pay restitution of $657,347.50 to the United States government. Additionally, she accepted responsibility for a forfeiture money judgment in the identical sum.

The investigation into this matter was carried out by the Office of Inspector General and the Diplomatic Security Service of the State Department. The prosecution is being led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman, with support from Paralegal Specialist Sona Chaturvedi. Key investigative efforts were performed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Orville from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.