Richmond, VA. — A Richmond woman has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after federal investigators uncovered a scheme in which she created dozens of false invoices to steal public funds intended to support a homeless shelter for women and children.
According to court documents, Kia A. Player, 41, operated RVA Sister’s Keeper, an inclement-weather shelter funded through grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the City of Richmond. Between August 2022 and April 2023, the shelter received more than $995,000 in government support.
Prosecutors say Player fabricated at least 35 fraudulent invoices, seeking reimbursement for expenses she never incurred. These included falsified bills for catering, cleaning, laundry, and bed bug treatment, as well as invoices for roof repairs and plumbing upgrades that were never performed.
One major part of the scheme involved 21 fake invoices claiming payments to a nonexistent vendor called VCM Catering Services. In reality, Player had asked an acquaintance — a public school cafeteria manager — to provide food for shelter residents, at times using items taken from the school cafeteria and already purchased with public funds.
Investigators determined that Player’s fraud caused $199,163 in actual losses to HUD and the City of Richmond. Instead of using the funds for the shelter, Player spent the proceeds on personal purchases, including furniture, airline tickets, a tattoo, a luxury Caribbean ferry ride in Miami Beach, and items from an antiques store.
Player is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 25, 2026, and faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Sentences for federal crimes typically fall below the statutory maximum. A federal judge will determine her sentence after reviewing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other relevant factors.
U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, HUD’s Office of Inspector General, and the City of Richmond’s Inspector General jointly announced the plea after Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. accepted it. Officials credited the City of Richmond’s oversight office with providing substantial assistance in the investigation.
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Richmond shelter director Kia Player admitted fabricating invoices to steal nearly $200,000 in HUD and city funds, spending the proceeds on personal expenses.
How low can you go, stealing funds meant for the “down & out”. This POS needs to repay $400,000 & 5 years behind bars !!!
I’m from Richmond and there are alot of homeless women and children out here for her to do this is diabolical. $1000000 for a shelter goes a long way out here. Free wifi breakfast dinner washer dryer. 50 beds. Showers. Intake services. They put the money in the wrong people hands. I believe the City was in on it too.