A former Department of State budget analyst pleaded guilty on Wednesday to embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported.
Levita Almuete Ferrer, 64, admitted to stealing over $650,000 from taxpayers between March 2022 and April 2024, according to the Department of Justice.
‘As a result, anyone viewing those entries in the QuickBooks system did not see Ferrer’s name as the payee on the checks unless they accessed an audit trail.’
Ferrer was a senior budget analyst for the State Department’s Office of the Chief of Protocol. As a part of her role with the federal agency, she had the authority to print and sign checks.
According to prosecutors, Ferrer wrote 60 checks to herself and three checks to an individual with whom she had a personal relationship. Ferrer printed and signed the checks, depositing $657,347.50 into her personal accounts.
She attempted to hide the illegal activity by utilizing a State Department QuickBooks account, where she entered her name as the payee, printed the checks, and then changed the account’s listed payee to an agency vendor.
“As a result, anyone viewing those entries in the QuickBooks system did not see Ferrer’s name as the payee on the checks unless they accessed an audit trail,” the DOJ stated.
As part of her guilty plea, she agreed to pay back the embezzled funds.
Ferrer’s sentencing is scheduled for September 18. She faces up to 10 years in prison.
In response to Ferrer’s guilty plea, the Diplomatic Security Service, the law enforcement arm of the State Department, said, “At DSS, we’re doing our part to ensure accountability and uphold public trust. Thank you to our partners for their work on this case.”
President Donald Trump’s State Department has made it a top priority to root out government waste.
On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement reflecting on the administration’s first 100 days.
He noted that the department “is becoming a leaner machine, eager to deliver for the taxpayers.”
“With an impending reorganization that will unleash the Department’s talent from the ground up, the State Department is set to continue to play a pivotal role in ensuring the safety, security and prosperity of the American people over the next four years,” he stated.
On Tuesday, a former U.S. Department of Agriculture program director, Kirk Perry, pleaded guilty to participating in a kickback scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The DOJ reported that Perry and his nephew, Jamarea Grant, “conspired to bill the government nearly $400,000 for work that Grant did not actually perform.”
“Perry also had access to Grant’s bank account. As part of the criminal scheme Perry transferred approximately $125,000 of the USDA payments from Grant’s account to his own account,” the DOJ stated.
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