Roda Osman, the American lady charged with faking the assault to raise money on GoFundMe has finally surrendered to police.
Osman, who was charged with felony theft by deception, had initially pledged to turn herself in last Thursday. But she failed to show up at the station.
Now, new court records have confirmed that Osman surrendered to the authorities this morning. She appeared at Harris County court and was later freed on a $10,000 bond, awaiting her arraignment scheduled for March 5.
As part of her bond conditions, Osman had to surrender her passport.
Back in September, Osman went viral on social media after making claims a man assaulted her with a brick outside the club in September. But, according to court documents, Osman used the made-up story to fraudulently raise at least $40,000 on GoFundMe.
The fundraiser claimed she was the victim of a similar attack more than three years ago.
The report said Osman later changed her story about being hit by authorities, and a friend police contacted stated off the record that she did not believe Osman was hit with a brick.
Footage obtained by detectives shows that Osman was struck in the face, however, it was by what appeared to be a plastic water bottle.
Texas Detectives contacted the Minneapolis Police Department to inquire about Osman’s 2020 GoFundMe titled “Help Black Muslim Mother Pay Her Medical Bill,” with the same narrative of a “Black man hitting her.”
Minneapolis Police told the Houston Police Department they have not received any reports of Osman being assaulted in 2020.
According to a charging document, Osman reported to the police that she was hit in the face with a brick and also claimed to have narrowly escaped a kidnapping attempt by a supposed Uber driver. However, a subsequent review of local surveillance footage by a detective painted a different picture.
In the video, Osman is seen in the company of a friend and the individual she later pointed to as her assailant. The video reportedly depicts Osman slapping the individual, who retaliates by striking her back, wielding a water bottle in hand.
The footage contradicted Osman’s claims of a brick assault and raised doubts about the authenticity of her story.
A friend who was with Osman on the night of the incident reportedly told police that she did not believe Osman was hit with a brick.
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