Richmond homeless shelter director sentenced to 3 years for wire fraud, stole $1 million in government funds
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- A Richmond woman was sentenced on Wednesday to three years in prison for wire fraud after the Department of Justice (DOJ) said she stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in government funds to operate a nonprofit meant to help women and children.
On Wednesday, Feb. 25, 41-year-old Kia Player was sentenced to three years in prison for wire fraud in connection with her fraudulent operation at RVA Sister's Keeper after she pleaded guilty to the charge back in November 2025.
Per the DOJ, Player won a grant to operate RVA Sister’s Keeper, an inclement weather shelter in 2022, and obtained over $995,000 in governmental funding from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the city of Richmond.
From August 2022 through April 2023, Player -- while acting as director of the shelter -- fabricated and falsified at least 35 separate invoices for costs allegedly paid to benefit the shelter and its residents, per court documents.
The DOJ said that Player didn't use the money for RVA Sister's keeper and would submit the fraudulent invoices for reimbursement, resulting in funds being improperly disbursed to Player by the city.
Player submitted at least 21 separate inflated invoices claiming RVA Sister’s Keeper made payments to “VCM Catering Services” to provide meals to the shelter. The DOJ said that in actuality, “VCM Catering Services" was a "fictitious business."
In the sentencing update the DOJ made on Wednesday, Player paid a family member -- a Richmond Public Schools cafeteria manager -- who provided breakfast and dinner for the homeless residents.
According to the DOJ, Player also allegedly fabricated a roof repair invoice and submitted that invoice to the city.
Player then fabricated invoices for laundry services on 10 different occasions, though the company provided services three times, and those experiencing homelessness occasionally received used blankets. Per the DOJ, she also fabricated invoices for bed bug treatment.
Her inflated invoice scheme caused $199,163 in actual losses to the HUD and the city, the department said.
The department said that she spent the fraud proceeds on personal expenses, including a tattoo, airline tickets, a luxury Caribbean ferry ride in Miami Beach, furniture and items at an antiques store.
