A Virginia woman who operated a homeless shelter for women and children in Richmond faces up to 20 years in prison for a nearly $200,000 fraud scheme.
Kia A. Player, 41, pleaded guilty to wire fraud on Tuesday.
Player operated an inflated invoice scheme that caused $199,163 in losses to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, and the City of Richmond.
Player allegedly spent the proceeds on personal expenses including on a tattoo, airline tickets, a luxury Caribbean ferry ride in Miami Beach, furniture and items at an antiques store.
According to court documents, Player won a grant to operate an inclement weather shelter for homeless women and children in the Richmond metropolitan area, named RVA Sister’s Keeper.
RVA Sister’s Keeper received more than $995,000 in governmental funding to implement and operate the shelter.
From August 2022 through April 2023, Player fabricated and falsified at least 35 separate invoices for costs at the shelter and submitted them to the city to disperse funds to her, according to the Department of Justice.
Player submitted at least 21 separate inflated invoices claiming RVA Sister’s Keeper made payments to an entity called VCM Catering Services to provide breakfast and dinner at the homeless shelter. VCM Catering Services was allegedly a fictitious business. Player had an acquaintance, a cafeteria manager at a Richmond City Public School, provide breakfast and dinner for the homeless residents, sometimes with food taken from the school.
Player also allegedly fabricated invoices for bed bug treatment, laundry services, cleaning services, renovations to the roof and plumbing upgrades at RVA Sister’s Keeper that were never provided, according to the DOJ.
She will be sentenced on Feb. 25.
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Chris Graham
