Home / Crime and Justice / Social Worker Jailed for Stealing Child Benefits
Social Worker Jailed for Stealing Child Benefits
19 Jun
Summary
- Former social worker received five months for stealing $17,638.
- Benefits meant for an autistic child were deposited into her account.
- She fled the country before her sentencing hearing.
Akeatha Akintola, a 48-year-old former social worker for the Snoqualmie Tribe, has been sentenced to five months in federal prison for stealing $17,638 in benefits designated for a child with intellectual disabilities. Akintola had applied to be the Representative Payee for the child, whose mother had passed away.
Despite tribal policies prohibiting social workers from serving as payees, Akintola secured the role and diverted the child's Social Security funds into a personal bank account. This breach of trust was discovered when she inquired about the child's funds with her supervisor. Akintola then resigned from her position.
Following her sentencing hearing, Akintola fled the United States, traveling to Togo under a different last name. Authorities located her, and she appeared in court on Wednesday to begin her sentence immediately. She has also been ordered to pay full restitution and is permanently barred from serving as a Representative Payee.
