In September of last year, Roda Osman shared on social media that a Houston man attacked her with a brick because she said no to his advances. Law Enforcement says the attack never happened and charged Osman with Felony theft.
In a surprising turn of events, Roda Osman, the woman who claimed to be a victim of a brick assault outside a Houston club, is now facing felony theft charges. The charges stem from her involvement in a crowdfunding campaign where she managed to raise over $40,000 online.
Osman, 33, is accused of felony theft by deception, but she has not been arrested as her current whereabouts remain unknown to authorities. In September, she gained attention on social media by alleging that a man assaulted her with a brick after she rejected his advances outside a club. However, the post did not provide evidence of the alleged incident, leading to online debates about the credibility of her story.
According to the charging document that was filed on January 10th, the police investigated the September incident where Osman claimed to have been hit in the face with a brick for refusing to share her phone number. She also reported a separate incident of an attempted kidnapping by a supposed Uber driver who tried to hit her.
Upon reviewing local surveillance footage, the detective found that Osman was with a friend and the man she later identified as her assailant. The footage showed Osman slapping the man, who then retaliated by hitting her with a water bottle, court documents show.
Interestingly, a friend who was present during the incident told the police that she did not believe Osman was hit with a brick. Despite these doubts, the initial social media posts triggered a GoFundMe fundraiser that amassed over $42,000 from more than 1,000 donors. The crowdfunding page has since been deactivated.
In response, GoFundMe issued a statement to NBC News, expressing zero tolerance for the misuse of their platform. The spokesperson confirmed the removal of the fundraiser, refunding all donors, and banning Roda Osman from using the platform for any future fundraisers.
The legal proceedings against Osman are ongoing, adding another layer of complexity to the already controversial situation.