A veteran budget analyst at the U.S. State Department has admitted to stealing more than $650,000 in government funds over a two-year span, federal prosecutors announced.

Levita Almuete Ferrer, 64, from Maryland, pleaded guilty to embezzling the money between March 2022 and April 2024. At the time, Ferrer worked in the State Department’s Office of the Chief of Protocol, where she had access to a government checking account and the authority to sign checks.

According to prosecutors, Ferrer wrote a total of 63 checks—60 made out to herself and three to a person with whom she had a personal relationship. In all, the checks added up to over $657,000 and were deposited directly into her personal bank accounts.

To cover her tracks, Ferrer used QuickBooks accounting software. Initially, she listed herself as the check recipient, but after printing the checks, she altered the digital records to show legitimate vendors instead. This tactic made the fraud harder to detect during audits.

Ferrer has pleaded guilty to stealing government property and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 18. She faces up to 10 years in prison. As part of her plea deal, she’s agreed to repay the full amount and forfeit the same amount to the federal government.

In a separate incident earlier this year, a U.S. diplomatic security agent was briefly detained in Brussels after reportedly acting erratically at a hotel. The agent allegedly became aggressive when staff refused to reopen the bar after closing time. Police were called, and the agent was taken into custody but released later that day.

Sources familiar with the situation suggest that grueling hours and heavy workloads may have contributed to the agent’s behavior. The State Department confirmed the incident is under review but declined to comment on specifics.