A former Washington state social worker has been sentenced to five years in federal prison after fleeing the country to avoid facing charges for stealing over $17,000 in Social Security benefits from a disabled, orphaned tribal child.
Akeatha Diane Akintola, 48, pleaded guilty to theft of public funds in a federal court after pocketing $17,638 meant for a vulnerable minor under her professional care.
During the sentencing hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kate Vaughan condemned Akintola’s actions, labeling the crime an “ethical breach beyond imagining.” Judge Vaughan noted that the defendant deliberately targeted a victim with “no one more vulnerable,” and ordered Akintola into immediate custody to begin serving her term.
A Betrayal of Trust
According to court records, Akintola was hired as a social worker for the Snoqualmie Tribe in January 2023. By September of that year, she clandestinely applied via telephone to become the Social Security Representative Payee for a minor child with intellectual disabilities who was a ward of the tribe. The child was eligible for survivor benefits following the death of their mother.
The Snoqualmie Tribe strictly prohibits its social workers from acting as representative payees for children under tribal care. Defying this policy, Akintola used the child’s Social Security number alongside her own to secure control of the funds. Once approved, she diverted the money into a personal bank account, spending the lifeline funds on retail purchases and personal expenses.
The deception unraveled in July 2024. Akintola accompanied her supervisor to the Social Security Administration (SSA) office to investigate why the child had not received their funds. When federal records revealed that Akintola herself was receiving the deposits, she denied the findings to her supervisor. She resigned from her position the following day.
International Flight and Capture
The case took a dramatic turn last month when Akintola attempted to evade justice. Originally scheduled for a plea and sentencing hearing on May 22, 2026, she failed to appear in court. Federal prosecutors discovered that she had fled the United States on May 20, traveling to Togo in West Africa using a passport issued under a different last name.
Akintola ultimately returned and appeared in court on June 17, 2026, where she was immediately detained. In addition to her 60-month prison sentence, she has been ordered to pay $17,638 in restitution to the SSA and is permanently banned from ever serving as a Social Security Representative Payee.
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Weaponizing Power
A representative for the Snoqualmie Tribe delivered a stinging impact statement to the court, detailing how Akintola’s actions fractured the foundational trust required of her profession.
”In our profession, a social worker is meant to be a safekeeper. Ms. Akintola did not just fail in that duty; she weaponized her position of power to systematically steal from a grieving, autistic child,” the representative stated. “This money was not a luxury. It was a lifeline.”
The investigation was a joint effort between the SSA Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG) and the Snoqualmie Tribal Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica M. Ly, an SSA attorney specially designated to handle federal social security fraud.
