US jails Nigerian caregiver for stealing $17,000 disabled child’s benefit

n n

A United States-based Nigerian social worker, Akeatha Diane Akintola, has been sentenced to five months’ imprisonment for stealing more than $17,000 in Social Security benefits meant for a disabled child placed under her care in Washington State.

n

PUNCH Metro learnt from a statement issued on June 18 by the US Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington, that Akintola, 48, pleaded guilty to theft of public funds after unlawfully diverting $17,638 intended for a minor with intellectual disabilities.

n

The department stated that Akintola was taken into custody immediately after her plea and sentencing hearing before Magistrate Judge Kate Vaughan.

n

The statement noted that at the sentencing hearing, Vaughan condemned the offence, saying she was struck by the fact that Akintola had targeted a vulnerable victim.

n

It noted that court records showed that Akintola became a social worker for the Snoqualmie Tribe in January 2023 and later applied to become the Social Security Representative Payee for a minor child under the tribe’s care.

n

The statement added that the child’s mother had died, leaving survivor benefits for the child with a prohibition for social workers from serving as representative payees for children under the tribe’s care.

n

The statement noted that despite the prohibition, prosecutors said Akintola used the child’s Social Security number and her information to secure the appointment and redirected the benefits into a bank account she controlled.

n

The attorney’s office stated that she spent the funds on personal expenses, including purchases at a retailer in North Bend, Washington.

n

The statement read in part, “In September 2023, Akintola applied by telephone to be the Social Security representative payee for a minor child with intellectual disabilities who was a ward of the tribe.

n

“The Tribe prohibits its social workers from becoming a representative payee for any child under its care. Nevertheless, Akintola used the child’s Social Security number and her own to apply to be the minor child’s representative payee.”

n

The US noted that the theft was uncovered in July 2024 when Akintola accompanied her supervisor to the Social Security Administration to inquire about the child’s missing benefits.

n

According to prosecutors, Social Security officials informed them that Akintola was listed as the child’s representative payee, but she denied the claim before resigning from her position the following day.

n

The department further disclosed that Akintola failed to appear for an earlier plea and sentencing hearing scheduled for May 22, 2026.

n

The statement added, “Prosecutors learnt she had left the U.S. on May 20, 2026, and travelled to Togo in West Africa using a passport issued in a different last name.

n

“Akintola appeared for the plea and sentencing hearing yesterday (July 15), and Judge Vaughan ultimately ordered her into custody to begin serving the sentence immediately.”

n

The statement noted that a representative of the Snoqualmie Tribe told the court that Akintola had abused the trust reposed in her as a social worker and exploited a grieving child for financial gain.

n

It added that the representative said the stolen funds were intended to support the child’s future independence and well-being and that the victim was an autistic child who depended on the benefits for support following the death of the mother.

n

“In our profession, a social worker is meant to be a safekeeper. A protector for children who have been stripped of their safety, family, and stability.

n

“Ms Akintola did not just fail in that duty; she weaponised her position of power to systematically steal from a grieving, autistic child. This money was not a luxury. It was a lifeline.”

n

The attorney’s office said Akintola was ordered to pay $17,638 in restitution to the Social Security Administration.

n

She was also barred from ever serving as a Social Security representative payee in the future.

n n