RICHMOND, Va. — A Richmond woman was sentenced Wednesday to three years in federal prison for wire fraud after prosecutors said she embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars meant to house homeless women and children. Instead, she spent the money on tattoos, airline tickets, and a luxury Caribbean ferry ride.
Kia A. Player, 41, the former director of RVA Sister’s Keeper, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John Gibney following her November 2025 guilty plea. Her scheme caused $199,163 in actual losses to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the City of Richmond, according to court documents.
RVA Sister’s Keeper received more than $995,000 in combined federal and city funding to operate an inclement weather shelter for homeless women and children in the Richmond metropolitan area during 2022 and 2023…