HOUSTON, Texas — A woman who went viral in 2023 for claiming she was struck in the face with a brick outside a Houston nightclub has been convicted of felony theft after investigators determined the story was fabricated.
After three hours of deliberation, a Houston jury found Roda Osman, a Somali native, guilty of stealing $42,000 through a fraudulent GoFundMe campaign.
Judge Dan Simons sentenced Osman to 90 days in jail and 10 years of probation. If she violates the terms of her probation, she could serve up to 10 years in prison.
Osman gained massive attention on social media after posting a video crying and showing an apparent facial injury, claiming a man hit her with a brick after she rejected his advances. Her GoFundMe page quickly raised tens of thousands of dollars from sympathetic donors.
However, an investigation revealed that Osman’s story was false. A detective obtained surveillance footage showing Osman arguing with a man near a white Maserati — not being assaulted by a stranger. The footage showed Osman striking the man first, who then retaliated with a plastic water bottle, not a brick.
When questioned, Osman gave conflicting accounts of the event. Authorities charged her with felony theft by deception after confirming the fundraiser was fraudulent.
GoFundMe later removed the campaign and issued refunds to all donors.
Investigators also discovered Osman had previously raised $40,000 in a similar “brick” assault scam in Minneapolis in 2020.
