Stolen Power Inside Washington

Some of the most serious threats operate far from public view. While dramatic incidents grab attention, quieter forms of harm often unfold unnoticed, built on routine access and misplaced trust.

A woman who forged checks over several years did so without force or spectacle, taking advantage of familiarity and the assumption of honesty. In contrast, a man wielding a bat in a Newark office caused immediate fear and disruption in full view.

Institutions tend to focus on obvious dangers like physical attacks. These threats are loud, visible, and trigger rapid responses such as alarms, evacuations, and police intervention.

Levita Almuete Ferrer’s case highlights a different kind of risk. She was an everyday employee whose personal struggles found cover within systems designed to trust those on the inside.

Her actions required no violence. Routine access, shared passwords, and unquestioned authority made deception easy, turning each forged check into a quiet breach of confidence.

The violent intruder, by comparison, exposed how well systems respond to external threats. The real weakness lay elsewhere, in the lack of safeguards against internal misuse.

Together, these cases show that organizations often underestimate risks posed by familiar faces. Addressing this gap means combining oversight with support, recognizing that internal vulnerability can be as dangerous as any outside attack.