'Brick lady' who shared video of her horrifically-swollen face after accusing a man of attacking her
A Houston woman who claimed a man assaulted her with a brick has been accused of lying - and raking in $40,000 through a fraudulent GoFundMe campaign.
Roda Osman, 33, who earned the moniker 'Brick Lady' on social media, has been charged with felony theft by deception.
She is accused of raising tens of thousands of dollars through a GoFundMe that claimed she was the victim of a similar attack more than three years ago.
The investigation stems from a report of an aggravated assault on September 3. Police responded and found Osman and her friend, reporting that the 33-year-old was intoxicated and hostile.
According to a police report, Osman claimed an unknown man threw a brick at her when she refused to give him her phone number. She told officers she had called an Uber and believed the suspect was the driver, who she accused of being involved in human trafficking.
Houston woman Roda Osman, 33, was slapped with a felony theft by deception charge for lying about an alleged assault
Osman went viral on social media after posting videos of her swollen face, alleging a man struck her in the face with a brick after she refused to give him her number
Osman raised over $40,000 through a GoFundMe campaign before it was reported as fraudulent and taken down
On September 15, detectives tried to contact Osman, but the number she provided belonged to her friend. The friend said she and Osman went bar hopping before Osman called some male friends to pick them up.
The men arrived in a dark-colored sedan and the friend sat in the front passenger seat while Osman climbed into the backseat with another man.
The friend reportedly heard Osman cry out and ask 'Why you hit me?' but did not hear an argument beforehand. She also stated off the record that she did not believe Osman was hit with a brick.
The man who allegedly assaulted Osman got out of the car, got into another and fled, she explained. Osman then went live on Instagram as her friend pleaded with her to call the police.
A detective managed to reach Osman on September 19. The 33-year-old claimed she and her friend started their night at the O2 Lounge before heading to the Liquid Lounge.
After leaving the second club, Osman said, she called an Uber. According to charging documents, Osman mistook the aforementioned sedan for the Uber and got in.
She claimed the suspect then hit her in the face with a brick. She identified the man as a certain Olan Douglas, claiming she did her own research.
The 33-year-old said the man who threw the brick was an Uber driver who had tried to kidnap her and was involved in human trafficking
A friend told police a different story, claiming she and Osman had gone bar hopping one night when Osman called her male friends to pick them up. She heard Osman ask one of the men why he hit her but told detectives she did not believe Osman had been struck with a brick
Police obtained security footage that showed Osman arguing with Olan Douglas, the man she claimed hit her with a brick. He swung his hand while appearing to hold a plastic water bottle that collided with her face
During the investigation, detectives received a tip about a similar GoFundMe page believed to be a scam. The 2020 campaign claimed a 'young Black Muslim single mother' was attacked by private security, leaving her with extensive injuries
Osman later changed her story to say she was assaulted at the Liquid Lounge. As the detective prodded her, she grew increasingly frustrated and hung up.
In the following days, police obtained security footage from nearby surveillance cameras and were able to identify Olan Douglas, the man Osman accused of assault.
In the video, Douglas, Osman and her friend were seen walking into a club. Around 20 minutes later the trio returned and headed over to a white Maserati that was parked nearby.
They, along with a fourth man, all got into the car. Osman and Douglas entered the backseat. A few minutes later, Douglas was seen leaving the car followed by Osman and her friend.
As Osman and Douglas argued, Douglas swung his hand while holding what appeared to be a plastic water bottle, hitting Osman in the face.
Investigators ultimately determined that the footage did not support Osman's retelling of events.
On September 4, one day after the alleged assault, a GoFundMe campaign was created that listed Osman as the beneficiary.
The campaign claimed a woman in Houston got hit in the face with a brick after declining to give a man her number. It raised over $42,000 before donators reported it as fraudulent and it was taken down.
During the investigation, detectives received a tip about a similar GoFundMe page stemming from an incident that occurred in Minneapolis three years prior.
That campaign was titled 'Help Black Muslim Mother Pay Her Medical Bill' and claimed a 'young Black Muslim single mother' was attacked by private security, leaving her with bruises, a black eye and injuries to her leg.
'She needs an estimated $5K to pay for medical bills, legal fees and a new phone and more,' the page read.
The Minneapolis Police Department said it had not received reports of Osman being assaulted in 2020. The last contact the department had with Osman was in 2012 for public lewdness and disorderly conduct.
Osman posted a video to TikTok stating she sent police over 20 emails and no longer felt 'safe' in Houston
The 33-year-old has an extensive criminal history with prior charges in the Virgin Islands, Minnesota and Texas. She is currently out on bail for felony assault and domestic violence
Since going viral, Osman's social media accounts have repeatedly been reported and taken down.
On Monday, the 33-year-old posted a video to her newest TikTok account captioned 'Help me hold Houston police department accountable.'
In the video, she claimed to have sent Houston police over 20 emails.
'I've literally done all the work for them,' she said. 'I also gave them a confession video of Olan Douglas saying not only that he assaulted me, but that he does not care.'
Rather than respond to her, she continued, 'they respond to pick-mes and redpill losers' - a reference to netizens who accused her of fraud - 'who have nothing to do with this case.
'They want to let all gender-oppressed people know that if you ever speak out, you will be punished and you will be punished badly.'
Osman grew increasingly frantic as the video drew to an end.
Nearly on the verge of tears, she added: 'I'm tired. And I'm scared. And I just don't feel safe.
'I might need to figure out where I'm going to live, because I don't think I can live in Houston any longer.'
Court records show the 33-year-old has prior charges in the Virgin Islands, Minnesota and Texas. She is currently out on bail for felony assault and domestic violence.
The Harris County District Attorney's Office has requested the court to enter a $50,000 bail on the latest theft by deception charge.
Osman agreed to surrender to police Thursday afternoon but did not show up by the agreed-upon deadline. At the time of writing she has not been arrested.
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