TOP STORIES: VB Shooting, Carter's habitat, Treasury Department hacked
A suspect is in custody after a man was shot and killed in Virginia Beach Monday afternoon, according to police.
VBPD says officers were sent to the 5400 block of Virginia Beach Boulevard after a 911 call came in around noon. Around 12:50 p.m., VBPD said there was a large police presence in the area and asked the public to avoid the area.
Police confirmed to News 3 that a man was shot to death and a suspect was taken into custody.
Police did not share a motive or further information on the shooting.
Suspect in custody after deadly shooting on Virginia Beach BoulevardHabitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads aims to carry out Former President Jimmy Carter's legacy. His dedication to volunteer service inspired many to do the same.
"President Carter and his wife Rosalynn were the number one ambassadors for Habitat for Humanity. They had been involved in habitat over 40 years ago. Since that time, they have built over 4,000 houses in 15 different countries including the U.S.," said Frank Hruska, the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads.
Since then, it's helped grow the organization across the country, even here in Hampton Roads.
"He actually went out and did it, he went out and not only talked about—it he went out and actually built houses with his hands," said Hruska.
These homes are created by the hands of volunteers, foundations, generous donors and the determination of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. Hruska honored the Carter family's efforts by making a big dedication.
"I'm happy to announce we have already decided to build two houses in Suffolk," Hruska said. "In honor of Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter—one for Rosalynn, and one for Jimmy."
Habitat for Humanity honors President Carter by continuing to build affordable housingChina-backed hackers gained remote access of several workstations and unclassified documents at the U.S. Treasury department, the agency said Monday. The department did not give details on how many workstations had been accessed or what sort of documents the hackers may have obtained.
"Treasury takes very seriously all threats against our systems, and the data it holds," the department said. "Over the last four years, Treasury has significantly bolstered its cyber defense, and we will continue to work with both private and public sector partners to protect our financial system from threat actors."
A third-party software service provider, BeyondTrust, notified the department on Dec. 8 that hackers stole a key used by a vendor—giving them remote access to several employee workstations.
In a letter to lawmakers, the department assured, "at this time there is no evidence indicating the threat actor has continued access to Treasury information."
The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are investigating the hack, they attributed the breach to Chinese-backed culprits. No more details were given.
This morning's weather: Sunny day with showers expected as New Year nears
Meteorologist Myles Henderson says we are tracking showers and storms for New Year’s Eve. Cold air returns to end the week. A colder start this morning, but we will still warm into the 60s this afternoon. We will see mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies today with a cold front set to move through tonight. Expect scattered showers and storms. A strong to severe storm is possible.
New Year’s Day will be sunny, cooler, and windy. Highs will drop to the mid 50s with winds gusting to near 30 mph. Highs will drop to the upper 40s for the end of the week.
For the latest weather updates, watch Myles live on News 3 This Morning here.
This morning's traffic:
So far this morning, there haven’t been any major traffic incidents in our area.
Interactive Traffic Map
For the latest traffic updates, watch Conor live on News 3 This Morning here.
We Follow Through: COVID-19 fraud hits the fan
A Norfolk man involved in a COVID-19 unemployment scheme plead guilty. Federal prosecutors detailed in court documents that over a year and a half, 51 successful fraudulent claims were filed.
Richard Upchurch of Norfolk recently pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud.
He and others, not named in the court paperwork, gathered names, birthdates, and Social Security numbers of their victims. They then applied for unemployment benefits primarily in Virginia and California, as well as in Vermont, Rhode Island, and Puerto Rico. Prosecutors say they recovered some funds after the scheme was uncovered, but there was a loss of more than $877,000.
"These people go to a lot of trouble to develop these schemes to defraud the government. I guess the good news here is it's catching up with them," said legal analyst Sonny Stallings.
Authorities caught up with them in this case by reviewing security camera footage from drive-through ATMs at First Colonial Road and Lynnhaven Parkway in Virginia Beach, according to court records.
Prosecutors examined Upchurch's text messages, in which he stated he "had over 70 socials" and mentioned he was "getting 9,500 [dollars] a week."
"This is another case where the government was just letting this money go out the door without any basic verification or checking," Stallings said.
The WTKR News 3 Investigative Team continues to follow these cases. Last January, we spoke to leaders at the Government Accountability Office about unemployment insurance fraud during the pandemic, which they estimated to be between $100 billion and $135 billion.
As for Upchurch, he is expected to be sentenced this April at the Norfolk Federal Courthouse. Attempts to reach him and his lawyer were unsuccessful.
"So, a lot of people got the money, but they’re gonna sit in prison for a while. I hope it was worth it to them," Stallings said.
Watch the full story on News 3 This Morning here.
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