Roda Osman went viral on social media after claiming a man assaulted her with a brick outside of a Houston nightclub. She raised over $40,000 on GoFundMe last year, but authorities now believe the incident was a scam.
According to KPRC, Osman, 33, was charged with felony theft by deception. She was expected to surrender to authorities on Thursday but didn’t. Community activists who worked with Osman said this was the first time they had dealt with someone who refused to show up.
KPRC reported that Osman turned herself in on Tuesday, is out on a $10,000 bond and surrendered her passport. Her arraignment will occur on March 5.
As Blavity reported, the situation began on Sept. 3, when Houston Police officers responded to an aggravated assault. When they arrived at the scene, they started collecting information from Osman about what had happened. According to court documents, the original police report stated that Osman was “walking on Schumacher Lane where an unknown man threw a brick at her when she would not give him her phone number.”
Osman went live on an Instagram account, showing her swollen face as she recounted the incident. The clip quickly went viral on social media, with multiple outlets sharing her story. One of Osman’s friends created a GoFundMe page to raise money for Osman after experiencing the alleged ordeal.
The page stated that several men were present during the incident and did nothing to stop it. Osman told authorities she ordered an Uber afterward and believed the man who assaulted her was the driver. When she entered the vehicle, Osman said the man tried to kidnap her. Court documents also show that Osman suspected the man was part of a human sex trafficking ring after having multiple women in the car with him.
After multiple follow-ups with the police, Osman changed her story several times, prompting law enforcement to review surveillance footage for more information about the incident. The video showed Osman and a man identified as Olan Douglas as the alleged suspect who hit her. Osman, her friend, and Douglas were seen walking down Schumacher Lane together before entering a club. About 20 minutes later, they stepped out and walked toward a white Maserati, per KPRC.
Douglas was reportedly leaning on the car as Osman started dancing on him. Her friend was talking to an unidentified man in front of the vehicle before the group got into the car. Moments later, Douglas hopped out of the vehicle, and Osman and her friend also got out, KPRC reported. Surveillance footage showed Osman and Douglas arguing, with him striking her face with what appeared to be a plastic water bottle.
After reviewing the surveillance tape, detectives determined that Osman had lied about what happened that night. However, Osman insists that she has done nothing wrong and maintains her innocence. According to The Shade Room, KPRC reporter Bryce Newberry was outside the Houston Police Department on Thursday, stating that the 33-year-old refused to show up and turn herself in.
Osman responded to Newberry, referring to her as “brick lady,” via The Shade Room and stated that she’s been constantly abused by others as an assault victim.
“My name is not brick lady,” Osman said. “The abuse never stops. My name is Roda and I am the victim. I was harmed. I never harmed anyone.”
She continued, “But Olan Douglas harmed me. Social media harmed me. Blogs harmed me. HPD has harmed me. I have been abused and revictimized and now I’m being held to a level of scrubby that is dangerous to all.”
Osman also responded to claims that she has been on the run after not showing up at the police department.
“I’m not on the run. Everyone is trying to extort me for money,” Osman said. “I am trying to find a proper lawyer to surrender with. I look forward to my day in court to fight these bullsh** claims and retribution from Officer Thorton for reporting her for misconduct. Again, I look forward to my day in court!”
After raising over $42,000 on GoFundMe, the company permanently removed the page and banned Osman from creating future fundraisers. Osman created another crowdfunding campaign with the company in 2020 after raising more than $5,000 for medical fees after she claimed private security in Minneapolis had assaulted her. GoFundMe also removed that page, according to KPRC.
