Houston’s viral ‘Brick Lady’ found guilty in $42K GoFundMe theft scheme
Roda Osman, 35, had to be told to calm down several times after the jury returned the guilty verdict following about two and a half hours of deliberations.
A woman who went viral in 2023 after claiming that a man threw a brick at her head when she wouldn’t give him her number, then raised more than $42,000 through a GoFundMe page, has been found guilty of theft by a Harris County jury.
Roda Osman, 35, had to be told to calm down several times after the jury returned the guilty verdict following about two and a half hours of deliberations.
Bank records shared during the trial revealed all of the donated money had been spent, Harris County prosecutor Keith Houston said, on trips to Jamaica and New York, at restaurants, spas, and on rideshares.
- ORIGINAL STORY: Woman known as ‘Brick lady’ charged in Houston after being accused of making whole thing up, raising $42K on GoFundMe
After the jury convicted Osman, Harris County District Court Judge Dan Simons sentenced her to 10 years of probation. If conditions get violated, Osman could serve a 10-year prison sentence.
As conditions of probation, Osman will have to serve 90 days in jail and undergo inpatient substance abuse treatment, Houston said. Osman will also have to pay full restitution of $42,302.
The judge also ordered her to not use social media for the 10-year period.
“That’s crazy, that’s wonderful,” Olan Douglas, the man who was accused of throwing the brick, told KPRC 2 News on Wednesday evening. “Usually nothing happens. I’m very much happy.”
Douglas spoke with KPRC 2 News in January 2024 after Osman was charged and said he had received death threats over the made up brick-throwing.
“I wish that the crowd of people that was with her at the beginning would show themselves now. Where are they at?” Douglas said. “Are they still supporting?”
During the investigation, Houston police found surveillance video showed Osman slapping Douglas in the face before he hit her back, with what appeared to be a plastic water bottle in hand.
Court documents revealed the surveillance footage did not match what Osman told police -- that a male Uber driver threw a brick at her and tried to kidnap her -- that “she did her own investigation and was told that Douglas was the one who assaulted her.”
Exactly what happened to Osman’s face isn’t fully clear, but Houston said the leading theory is that she hit her head on the car door frame because the car door was open and she went down in that area.
Houston said Osman and her defense team expressed intent to appeal the conviction during court on Wednesday.
KPRC 2 News has reached out to Osman’s attorney for a statement.
- RELATED: Why ‘Brickgate’ case is causing stir on social media, concerns for ‘Protect Black Women’ movement
Osman was taken into custody to begin serving the 90-day sentence at the end of the trial.
She was given a $50,000 appeal bond, and if posted, the probation sentence and conditions would be suspended until the appeals process is complete. The appeals process could take more than a year.
