A woman who went viral on social media after making claims a man assaulted her with a brick outside a Houston club is now accused of making up the story and raising tens of thousands of dollars in a GoFundMe scam.
Roda Osman, 33, has been charged with felony theft by deception. According to charging documents obtained by Click2Houston, Osman raised at least $40,000 through a fraudulent GoFundMe page she started in September.
Osman Claimed She was Assaulted with a Brick by a Man When She Didn't Give Him Her Phone Number
On Sept. 3, Houston police officers responded to an aggravated assault incident. They met Osman and her female friend. During the investigation, officers reported that Osman was intoxicated, hostile and irate.
In the original police report made at the scene, Osman claimed that she was walking on Schumacher Lane where an unknown man threw a brick at her when she would not give him her phone number, court documents show.
She also told officers she had ordered an Uber and believed the brick-throwing suspect was the Uber driver. Osman said she got into the car with him where he then tried to kidnap her, according to documents. Osman stated the suspect was involved in human trafficking and had a large group of women in the car with him.
Osman's Friend Told Cops She was in the Car at the Time of the Alleged Assault, Didn't Think Osman was Hit with a Brick
On Sept. 15, detectives tried to reach Osman, but the number she provided was her friend's number, who was also at the scene when the incident was reported. The friend said she was not from Houston and went out to several places to drink with Osman. She said Osman reportedly called her male friends to come pick them up.
When the men arrived, Osman and the friend got into their vehicle, which was a dark-colored sedan. The woman told investigators that she got into the right front passenger seat, and Osman in the backseat with another man. As they were driving, she reportedly heard Osman yell, "Ouch - why you hit me?!" but stated that she did not hear an argument before she heard Osman yell.
The friend stated off the record that she did not believe Osman was hit with a brick, according to charging documents. The friend told detectives the suspect who allegedly assaulted Osman got out of their vehicle, got into another vehicle, and drove off. She said Osman went live on Instagram and that she tried to convince Osman to call the police.
Osman Told Detective Her Friend Wasn't with Her in the Car at the Time of the Assault, Then Changed Her Story
When a detective finally made contact with Osman on Sept. 19, she told him that she and her friend had gone club-hopping. They reportedly started at the O2 Lounge and then went to the Liquid lounge. Osman said as they left the club, she called an Uber.
According to the charging documents, when the dark-colored sedan pulled up, Osman thought it was the Uber she had called and got inside. Osman told the detective that's when the suspect hit her in the face with a brick.
She also stated that she did her own investigation and found out it was a man named Olan Douglas who assaulted her. When Osman was asked where was her friend at the time, she reportedly became upset and said her friend was far away from her while talking to another guy.
Osman then changed her story to say she was assaulted at the Liquid Lounge Club. After more questioning from the Houston police detective, Osman became upset, asked to speak with the detective's supervisor and then hung up.
Surveillance Footage Showed Osman Dancing on Douglas Before He Hit Her with a Plastic Bottle
On Sept. 20,Houston police detectives reviewed the area's surveillance cameras and in the footage, the man that Osman claimed hit her, Olan Douglas, was also identified. Detectives said Douglas, Osman, and her friend were seen talking amongst each other and walking towards TikTalk Garden lounge. They all reportedly went inside the club together.
About 20 minutes later, the video shows the trio walk outside the club, then walk toward a white Maserati that was parked outside. According to the documents, the surveillance footage shows that Osman started dancing on Douglas while her friend was in front of the vehicle talking to another unidentified man. The video then reportedly shows all four people get inside the Maserati.
The unidentified man got into the driver seat, the friend got in the right front passenger seat, and Osman and Douglas entered the back, according to documents. A few minutes later, Douglas was reportedly seen getting out the back right side, and then Osman and her friend also got out.
According to charging documents, Osman and Douglas were in an argument and Douglas reportedly swung his right hand while holding what appeared to be a plastic water bottle and struck Osman in the face.
Osman's 'Brick Story' Went Viral on Instagram, Raised $42K on GoFundMe
When Osman went live on Instagram after the incident, she went viral on social media. Watch the video below:
On Sept. 4, a day after the alleged assault was reported, a GoFundMe account was created and listed Osman as the beneficiary. The account raised $42,302 as of Oct. 25, 2023, according to charging documents.
It stated that she was attacked by a Black male as she was walking down the street because she declined to give him her phone number, the report read. The "viral video" linked on the GoFundMe received more than one million likes. The GoFundMe account has been reportedly frozen after several donators reported it as fraudulent.
GoFundMe also released a statement:
GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform and cooperates with law enforcement investigations of those accused of wrongdoing. The fundraiser has been removed from the platform, all donors have been refunded, and Roda Osman has been banned from using the platform for any future fundraisers.
Osman Previously Set Up a GoFundMe for a Similar Claim 3 Years Ago
During the investigation, detectives said they received a call from Daphne Sutton, a mental health advocate and blogger on TikTok, who believed Osman was conducting a scam because of a similar situation that happened in Minneapolis in 2020.
She reportedly provided detectives with another GoFundMe account that was created by or for Osman in 2020 with the same narrative of a "Black man hitting her."
The description stated: "A young Black Muslim single mother was viciously assaulted by private security in Minneapolis, sustaining multiple facial contusions, 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 Minneapolis Police Department told the Houston Police Department that it has not received any reports of Osman being assaulted in 2020. The department stated that the last contact officers had with Osman was in 2012 for public lewdness and disorderly conduct.
The ex-roommate of Osman also reached out and told detectives that she and Osman were no longer friends after discovering Osman was scamming people and she wanted no part of it. She said Osman reportedly created the GoFundMe, claiming that someone hit her -- but it was a lie.
