- A lady in Houston raised $42,000 off her declare {that a} man attacked her with a brick.
- However native police say Roda Osman faked her story, and she or he’s been charged with theft by deception.
- Police stated they’ve video proof, however Osman instructed Enterprise Insider the officers are mendacity.
A lady in Houston who stated she was attacked within the face with a brick is now dealing with arrest by native police, who allege that she faked the story as a part of a rip-off that raised $42,000 on GoFundMe.
However in a prolonged interview with Enterprise Insider, the lady defended her altering story, accused police of focusing on her, and insisted she’s the sufferer of an assault.
Roda “Rho” Osman, 33, went viral on social media in September 2023 after posting movies saying {that a} man hit her face with a brick after she refused to provide him her quantity.
In a video shared on social media — which was later taken down — Osman seems to be wearing a hospital robe with a swollen face and alleges the person attacked her.
“He picked up a brick in entrance of so many males, and was like, ‘What you gonna do?'” she says by means of tears.
“And I instructed all these males, like yo, why does this man obtained a brick on my face?” she says within the video, accusing the opposite males of doing nothing as she was attacked.
The video went viral final yr, and Osman was nicknamed “Brick Girl” with many creators leaping in to debate what occurred.
Over the following two months, a GoFundMe web page known as “Assist Roda Get better” raised over $42,000.
The outline on the web page, which has been eliminated, begins, “My good good friend Roda was viciously attacked with a brick by a person she refused to provide her quantity. She was surrounded by onlookers who stood by and did nothing to assist her – not even calling an ambulance.”
However Osman is now being charged with one rely of theft by deception, which may carry as much as 10 years in jail.
Police allege Osman’s story does not add up
In a detective’s affidavit outlining the cost in opposition to Osman, police stated surveillance footage reveals that though Osman was injured within the confrontation, she was the aggressor.
The detective writes that the footage reveals Osman, her feminine good friend, and the person she says attacked her get right into a automobile collectively exterior a membership.
A couple of minutes later, the three get out of the automotive whereas Osman and the person seem like verbally combating, the affidavit says, citing the surveillance footage.
Osman then hits the person within the face with an “unknown object” earlier than he strikes her in response with a plastic water bottle, the affidavit says. Police haven’t made the footage out there, and BI hasn’t seen it.
The detective wrote that Osman filed a criticism with the police, however modified her story a minimum of as soon as when chatting with him on the cellphone.
Osman initially instructed the detective that she known as an Uber, and {that a} man arrived in a automotive she believed was her employed experience, in response to the affidavit. She instructed the detective she entered the automotive and was hit by the person with a brick, it acknowledged.
The affidavit additionally stated Osman claimed the person was “concerned in human trafficking and had a big group of females within the automotive with him.”
The affidavit says Osman then modified her story, telling the detective she was as an alternative assaulted in a nightclub.
The detective stated she obtained upset when he pressed her for extra info, requested to talk to his supervisor, after which hung up.
The detective wrote within the affidavit that he additionally spoke to Osman’s feminine good friend, who instructed police that she did not suppose Osman was hit with a brick.
Police allege within the criticism that Osman had a good friend begin the GoFundMe web page primarily based on the story that she was attacked with a brick.
Police stated within the criticism that a number of donors reported the GoFundMe web page as a fraud.
In an announcement to BI, GoFundMe stated that Osman’s fundraiser has been faraway from the platform, all of the donors have been refunded, and she or he’s now been barred from utilizing the positioning.
“GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform and cooperates with regulation enforcement investigations of these accused of wrongdoing,” GoFundMe stated in its assertion to BI.
The affidavit additionally says Osman had an analogous GoFundMe arrange for her in 2020, with a $5,000 aim, over a separate incident during which Osman alleged a safety guard attacked her.
The detective stated he interviewed a girl who was dwelling with Osman when the primary GoFundMe was created; the previous roommate stated the donation was primarily based on a false story, in response to the affidavit.
The detective additionally wrote within the affidavit that there was no police report of the alleged 2020 assault.
Screenshot/GoFundMe
The Houston Police Division confirmed to Enterprise Insider that Osman continues to be needed, and stated she is the one one who has been charged in connection to the incident.
Osman responds to pretend story allegations
In an interview on Friday, Osman instructed BI that the night time of the incident, she and a feminine good friend met two males whereas going clubbing. Osman stated that one of many males harassed her all night time for her cellphone quantity, although she turned him down.
At round 4 or 5 within the morning, Osman instructed BI she was standing on the road along with her good friend and the 2 males, attempting to determine if she would name an Uber.
She stated the person who had been bugging her compelled her hand “over his penis” and choked her, so she tried to get away from him. The affidavit outlining the costs in opposition to Osman doesn’t point out Osman’s declare that Douglas compelled her to seize his penis.
She then says he hit her over the pinnacle with one thing earlier than he ran to his good friend’s automotive to flee.
Osman instructed BI that is when she noticed a brick on the bottom, which she assumed he used to hit her.
Osman alleged that police are mendacity concerning the surveillance footage; she says she by no means had an object in her hand and that the article the person hit her with may have been a liquor bottle.
After being struck, she stated she then known as the police and was taken in an ambulance to the hospital.
Osman shared her hospital information with BI, during which a health care provider reported a contusion on the left facet of Osman’s face and blood popping out of her left ear.
Osman instructed BI that she could not recollect all the things completely clearly as a result of she had simply been hit over the pinnacle, had a concussion, and had been ingesting.
“Not remembering each single element of assault and trauma is just not against the law,” Osman instructed BI, including, “I feel the police saying that I modified my story is a sign that they by no means handled me like a sufferer to start with.”
Osman instructed BI that she believes the police filed prices in opposition to her in retaliation for her reporting one of many officers who dealt with her case.
Houston Police Division declined to touch upon her allegations.
She additionally careworn that she should not be charged with fraud as a result of she did not create the GoFundMe drive. Osman instructed BI that her good friend made it for her as a result of she needed to assist.
In response to the police’s allegation that Osman ran a pretend GoFundMe in 2020, Osman stated, “That was not fraudulent. They’re getting that from social media.”
“It isn’t against the law or hoax to be attacked greater than as soon as in your life,” she stated, including, “They don’t have any proper to say that my final assault was pretend, and in reality, it’s one other indication of their innate bias and refusal to see me as a sufferer.”
She additionally stated she by no means reported the 2020 incident to police as a result of she had dealt with it with the institution the place it occurred.
“There isn’t any such factor as an ideal sufferer,” Osman instructed BI. “No one deserves to be assaulted, and no one deserves to be re-victimized over and time and again.”
