Trust Betrayed: Nigerian Social Worker Gets US Prison Term

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 the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, the 48-year-old pleaded guilty to theft of public funds after illegally diverting $17,638 intended for a minor with intellectual disabilities.
Akintola was taken into custody immediately after pleading guilty and being sentenced by Magistrate Judge Kate Vaughan, who condemned the offence and emphasized the vulnerability of the victim.
Court documents revealed that Akintola began working as a social worker for the Snoqualmie Tribe in January 2023. In September 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’s policy prohibited its social workers from serving as representative payees for children under their care.
Despite the restriction, Akintola allegedly used the child’s Social Security number and personal details to obtain the appointment and redirected the benefits into a bank account under her control.
Authorities said she spent the money on personal expenses, including purchases at a retail store in North Bend, Washington.
The fraud came to light in July 2024 when Akintola accompanied her supervisor to a Social Security Administration office to investigate why the child’s benefits were missing.
Officials informed them that she was listed as the child’s representative payee. Prosecutors said Akintola denied the claim and resigned from her position the following day.
Court records also showed that she 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 returned to 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 violated the trust placed in her as a social worker by exploiting 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 five-month prison sentence, the court ordered Akintola to repay $17,638 in restitution to the Social Security Administration and permanently barred her from serving as a Social Security representative payee.