A Richmond woman has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after embezzling $239,820 from a private school where she worked as business manager. According to court documents, Shannel Peoples-Hilliard, 46, managed the school’s books and records, performed bank reconciliations, and made purchases on behalf of the school. She had control over a credit card intended for official school use.
Between November 2021 and July 2024, Peoples-Hilliard used the school’s credit card for personal expenses. These included trips to Orlando, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, and Miami; tickets to performances such as Hamilton and concerts by Usher and LL Cool J; luxury items like purses and jewelry; and rent payments for her residence. On May 24, 2024, she charged $1,591.77 at the Boathouse at Rocketts Landing for a personal graduation party.
To hide her actions, Peoples-Hilliard falsified bank reconciliation reports. She misrepresented certain personal expenses as approved spending categories related to ongoing construction at the school. Examples include attributing a Royal Caribbean cruise, a hotel stay in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and a deposit to the Boathouse at Rocketts Landing to construction costs.
Peoples-Hilliard is scheduled for sentencing on January 22, 2026. She faces up to 20 years in prison; however, actual sentences are often less than the maximum allowed by law. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
“Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Stephen Farina, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson accepted the plea.”
“Assistant U.S. Attorney Carla Jordan-Detamore is prosecuting the case.”
Further information about this case can be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Court documents are available through PACER under Case No. 3:25-cr-130 or via the District Court’s website.
