On November 20, 2025, George Copeland, Jr. published an article at The Richmond Free Press entitled “Ex-homeless shelter director pleads guilty.” It details how the former director of RVA Sister's Keeper defrauded the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the City of Richmond out of $199,163, in part by submitting 35 falsified invoices to the city.
Copeland, Jr. reported (emphasis mine):
City Council President Cynthia Newbille did not respond to a request for comment.
Because The Richmond Free Press has since folded, the link above directs to The Richmonder, which had a reprinting agreement with the historic Black newspaper.
This Lookout item was published on April 16th, 2026 to archive my Bluesky post about Copeland, Jr.’s story when it came out. For clarity, I’ve backdated this item to the earlier date.
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This has been The Cynthia Newbille “No Comment” Corner, a new recurring feature highlighting the press availability—or lack thereof—of the 7th District’s longtime councilmember. If you come across a “no response” or a “no comment” from Newbille or her office in a media report, please submit it for consideration to The Lookout. All submissions anonymous!
