A woman who claimed she was hit in the face with a brick by a man outside a Houston nightclub in 2023 is now a convicted felon.
After 3 hours of deliberations on Wednesday, a Houston jury convicted Roda Osman of stealing $42,000 via a GoFundMe page.
Harris County District Court Judge Dan Simons sentenced Osman to 90 days in jail followed by 10 years probation. Osman could serve a 10-year prison sentence if she violates the terms of her probation.
Osman, a native of Somalia, went viral in 2023 after she claimed a man hit her in the face with a brick for rejecting his advances.
She went viral on Instagram, crying and revealing her disfigured face.
Her story triggered an outpouring of support on social media. Osman launched a GoFundMe page and collected over $42,000 in donations.
But it didn’t take long for the law to catch up to her.
A detective spoke to a friend who was with Osman the night of the alleged assault. The friend told the detective she didn’t believe Osman was hit in the face with a brick, according to an affidavit.
The detective reviewed security camera footage from a neighboring business. The footage shows Osman and a male friend arguing outside a white Maserati.
Osman swung an object at the man and hit him in the face. The man hit her with a plastic water bottle, according to the affidavit.
Osman got into the Maserati as the man drove away in an Audi A3.
She then got out of the Maserati and live-streamed on her cell phone. She claimed that a man just attacked her with a brick – and that numerous men stood around and did nothing to help her.
The detective questioned Osman who told conflicting stories about what happened that night.
She was arrested and charged with one count of felony theft by deception for scamming supporters on GoFundMe
GoFundMe removed the account and issued refunds to donors.
Authorities say Osman also raised $40,000 with a similar “brick” scam in Minneapolis in 2020.
