Daily Voice
By Zak Failla From Daily Voice
A Virginia woman trusted to run a homeless shelter for women and children has admitted to stealing nearly $200,000 in taxpayer funding meant to care for some of Richmond’s most vulnerable residents.
41-year-old Kia A. Player pleaded guilty to wire fraud after investigators uncovered a sweeping scheme that relied on fake invoices, phony vendors, and bogus bills for services that never happened at her shelter, RVA Sister’s Keeper, according to the US Attorney's Office.
Court documents say Player was granted nearly $1 million in public funding to operate the inclement weather shelter.
But from August 2022 through April 2023, prosecutors say she fabricated at least 35 invoices claiming the shelter paid for food, repairs, and services — even though she never spent the money on the residents.
Instead, officials say she billed the City of Richmond for work that didn’t exist and pocketed the reimbursements.
One of the most brazen examples: prosecutors said Player invented a fake catering company — “VCM Catering Services” — and filed 21 invoices claiming it provided breakfast and dinner at the shelter.
In reality, the business didn’t exist.
A school cafeteria manager Player knew occasionally brought food from a Richmond public school cafeteria, which had already been paid for with public funds.
Investigators said it didn’t stop there.
Player also made up invoices for bed bug treatment, laundry service, cleaning crews, plumbing upgrades, roof repairs, and shower renovations that never happened.
Federal prosecutors say she used the stolen money on herself — including a tattoo, airline tickets, a luxury Caribbean ferry ride in Miami Beach, furniture, and antiques.
Officials say the scheme caused $199,163 in losses to HUD and the City of Richmond.
Player faces up to 20 years in federal prison when she’s sentenced on February 25, 2026. Prosecutors noted that actual sentences in federal cases are typically less than the maximum.
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