A former Biden-administration State Department budget analyst has now pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $650,000 in taxpayer funds—yet another embarrassing scandal for a White House already drowning in mismanagement. Levita Almuete Ferrer, 64, admitted to stealing the money over a two-year period while working inside one of the nation’s most sensitive diplomatic offices.
Ferrer held a senior budget analyst role in the Office of the Chief of Protocol, giving her signature authority over government accounts—authority she abused repeatedly between March 2022 and April 2024. Instead of safeguarding U.S. funds, prosecutors say she funneled the money into her personal bank accounts to fuel a long-running gambling addiction.
In federal court, Ferrer was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison, a stunning acknowledgment of how deeply the Biden State Department failed to monitor internal financial controls. As part of her plea agreement, she must repay the full amount stolen and will face a forfeiture judgment matching the $657,347.50 she took.
According to prosecutors, Ferrer wrote 63 fraudulent checks—60 to herself and three to an individual she had a personal relationship with. She printed and signed each check before depositing them, exploiting weaknesses in the very system she was entrusted to oversee. This was not a one-off mistake; it was a systematic breach of public trust under a federal agency already criticized for poor oversight.
To cover her tracks, Ferrer manipulated QuickBooks entries, switching her own name to that of legitimate State Department vendors after printing the checks. This deliberate deception made it far harder for internal reviewers to catch the scheme, demonstrating how thoroughly she exploited bureaucratic laxity under Biden’s watch.
While scandals continue to erupt inside Biden-run federal agencies, the Trump-aligned Justice Department leadership has been making headlines for the opposite reason—swift and decisive action. This week, a suspect accused of attacking the office of U.S. Attorney Alina Habba was quickly apprehended, thanks to coordinated federal law enforcement.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi, appointed under the renewed Trump administration, announced that the FBI had captured 51-year-old Keith Michael Lisa, a California native tied to New York and New Jersey. Federal investigators say Lisa was arrested within 48 hours of being charged—an example of the kind of fast, no-nonsense action many Americans felt was missing under Biden.
Bondi praised the teamwork between federal agencies: “No one will get away with threatening or intimidating our great U.S. Attorneys or destroying their offices.” The message was clear: under Trump-aligned leadership, lawlessness targeting federal officials will be met with immediate consequences.
The FBI revealed that Lisa entered the Newark federal building with a baseball bat, was initially denied entry, and then returned to force his way inside. Once in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he damaged government property before fleeing the scene. A federal warrant was issued shortly after for possession of a dangerous weapon in a federal facility and depredation of federal property.
U.S. Attorney Habba thanked federal agents following his arrest and made it clear she refuses to be intimidated by political extremism. “We got him,” she wrote, praising federal partners for their rapid action. “This Justice Department under Attorney General Pam Bondi will not tolerate any acts of intimidation or violence.”
Habba previously emphasized that she will continue to enforce the law without fear: “I will not be intimidated by radical lunatics for doing my job.” Her firm stance—and the swift federal response—stand in sharp contrast to the chaos and corruption scandals that emerged throughout the Biden years.[/read]