A Nigerian social worker based in the United States, Akeatha Diane Akintola, has been sentenced to five months in prison for stealing more than $17,000 in Social Security benefits meant for a disabled child under her care in Washington State.
According to a statement issued by the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, Akintola, 48, pleaded guilty to theft of public funds after unlawfully diverting $17,638 intended for a minor with intellectual disabilities.
She was taken into custody immediately after her plea and sentencing before Magistrate Judge Kate Vaughan, who condemned the offence and noted the vulnerability of the victim.
Court records showed that Akintola became a social worker for the Snoqualmie Tribe in January 2023. In September of that year, she applied to become the Social Security representative payee for a disabled child who was a ward of the tribe.
Prosecutors said the tribe prohibited its social workers from serving as representative payees for children under its care.
Despite the restriction, Akintola allegedly used the child’s Social Security number and her personal information to secure the appointment and redirect the benefits into a bank account she controlled.
Authorities said she spent the funds on personal expenses, including purchases at a retail store in North Bend, Washington.
The fraud was uncovered in July 2024 when Akintola accompanied her supervisor to a Social Security Administration office to investigate the child’s missing benefits.
Officials informed them that she was listed as the child’s representative payee, a claim she reportedly denied before resigning from her position the following day.
Prosecutors also revealed that Akintola failed to appear for a plea and sentencing hearing scheduled for May 22, 2026.
Investigators later discovered that she had left the United States on May 20 and travelled to Togo using a passport issued under a different surname.
She eventually appeared in court on June 15, where Judge Vaughan ordered her immediate detention.
During sentencing, a representative of the Snoqualmie Tribe told the court that Akintola had betrayed the trust placed in her as a social worker and exploited a grieving autistic child for financial gain.
The representative said the stolen funds were intended to support the child’s welfare and future independence following the death of the child’s mother.
In addition to the prison sentence, Akintola was ordered to pay $17,638 in restitution to the Social Security Administration and was permanently barred from serving as a Social Security representative payee.
