A 48-year-old Nigerian social worker, Akeatha Diane Akintola, has been sentenced to five years in a U.S. prison after admitting to stealing Social Security benefits meant for a disabled child under the care of the Snoqualmie Tribe.

The sentencing was announced by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Akintola pleaded guilty to theft of public funds after unlawfully taking $17,638 designated for the minor.

During the sentencing, Magistrate Judge S. Kate Vaughan condemned Akintola’s actions, emphasizing that she had deliberately exploited an extremely vulnerable victim. The judge described the offense as an unimaginable breach of ethics.

Court documents revealed that Akintola began working as a social worker for the Snoqualmie Tribe in January 2023. Several months later, in September 2023, she applied by phone to become the Social Security representative payee for a child with intellectual disabilities who was under the Tribe’s guardianship. The child had been receiving survivor benefits following the death of the mother.

Although tribal policy strictly forbids social workers from serving as representative payees for children in their care, Akintola used the child’s Social Security information and her own details to secure the position. Once approved, she directed the child’s benefits into a personal bank account and spent the money on herself, including purchases at a retailer in North Bend.

The fraud came to light in July 2024 when Akintola accompanied her supervisor to the Social Security Administration to investigate the missing benefits. When officials disclosed that she was listed as the child’s representative payee, she denied any involvement. She resigned from her position the following day.

A representative of the Snoqualmie Tribe told the court that social workers are expected to protect vulnerable children, not exploit them. The representative said Akintola abused the trust placed in her and deprived a grieving autistic child of financial support that was essential for future independence.

Akintola was initially scheduled to enter her plea and be sentenced on May 22, 2026, but failed to appear. Investigators later discovered that she had left the United States on May 20 and traveled to Togo using a passport bearing a different surname.

She eventually returned and appeared in court on June 17, 2026, where Judge Vaughan ordered her taken into custody immediately to begin serving her sentence.

In addition to the prison term, Akintola must repay the full $17,638 to the Social Security Administration and is permanently barred from serving as a Social Security representative payee. The investigation was conducted by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the Snoqualmie Tribal Police, while the prosecution was handled by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica M. Ly, who specializes in Social Security fraud cases.