A US court has sentenced Nigerian social worker Akeatha Diane Akintola to five months in prison for stealing over $17,000 in Social Security benefits meant for a disabled child.
A United States court has sentenced Nigerian social worker, Akeatha Diane Akintola, to five months in prison after she admitted stealing more than $17,000 in Social Security benefits meant for a disabled child in Washington State.
Akintola, 48, pleaded guilty to theft of public funds after unlawfully diverting $17,638 intended for a child with intellectual disabilities under the care of the Snoqualmie Tribe.
US prosecutors said she secured appointment as the child’s Social Security representative payee despite rules barring tribal social workers from holding that role, then redirected the payments into an account she controlled and spent the money on personal expenses.
The fraud surfaced in 2024 when questions arose over the child’s missing benefits. Akintola later left for Togo before returning for sentencing. Judge Kate Vaughan ordered her immediate custody, restitution of $17,638, and a lifetime ban from serving as a representative payee.
Source: Punch NewspapersNEWS NOW:
