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University of Texas PhD student accused of brick assault hoax after racking up $40K from GoFundMe
A Ph.D. student in Texas was criminally charged after authorities accused her of lying about being assaulted and then raking in as much as $40,000 from a GoFundMe intended to help her recover.
Roda Osman, a student in the African and African Diaspora Studies Department at the University of Texas at Austin, was recently charged with felony-level theft by deception. In September, a friend of Osman’s started a GoFundMe called “Help Roda Recover” after Osman was allegedly hit in the face with a brick.
On Saturday, Osman told Fox News Digital she’s innocent and that she is “heartbroken” over the allegations.
Osman posted a video on social media where she alleged that she was assaulted by a man who asked for her phone number and was rejected. In the footage, she appeared visibly upset and pointed to a swollen part of her face.
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Osman told Fox that she was being targeted by the manosphere, a group of anti-feminist social media users. (@rho.reports8 via TikTok)
A friend of Osman’s started a GoFundMe called “Help Roda Recover” after Roda was allegedly hit in her face with a brick. (GoFundMe)
“This man just hit me in my face with a brick and all these Black men just watched, and they don’t give a f–k,” Osman said.
The video was widely circulated on Twitter and, according to NBC reporting at the time, the situation, “[pointed] to a familiar pattern of backlash hurled at Black women when they publicly denounce harm from Black men.”
According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, the Houston Police Department claims that Osman was in an altercation with a man when she was hit with a water bottle.
“It appeared Defendant Osman and [the man] were in the middle of a verbal argument when Defendant Osman swung her right hand while holding an unknown object and hit [the man] in the face,” the documents read. “[The man] then swung his right hand while holding what appeared to be a plastic water bottle and struck Defendant in the face.”
“The video footage capturing the incident did not support Defendant Osman’s recorded statement.”
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Osman told Fox that she was being targeted by the manosphere, a group of anti-feminist social media users. (@rho.reports8 via TikTok)
Police also said they were contacted by a caller who accused Osman of running a fraudulent GoFundMe in 2020.
The 2020 GoFundMe was reportedly titled “Help Black Muslim Mother Pay Her Medical Bill,” and claimed that Osman was “viciously assaulted by private security in Minneapolis, sustaining multiple facial contusions, a black eye and injuries to her leg. She needs an estimated $5,000 to pay for medical bills, legal fees, a new phone and more.”
The caller contacted the Minneapolis Police Department, but said that police could not corroborate the alleged assault. Authorities also spoke with a roommate named Rachel who accused Osman of scamming in the past.
“Ms. Rachel stated at first they were cool, but that she discovered Roda was scamming people and she wanted no part of it,” the document said. “Ms. Rachel mentioned the scam Roda took part in by creating the GoFundMe in 2020 claiming someone hit her but it was a lie.”
Osman spoke with Fox News Digital about the allegations on Saturday. She said that the head injury she suffered prevented her from knowing exactly what she had been struck by.
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Roda Osman, who studies African and African diaspora studies at the University of Texas at Austin, was recently charged with felony-level theft by deception. (@rho.reports8 via TikTok)
“I’m not guilty…as a person who suffered from a head injury from blunt force trauma and went online five minutes later for my own safety, I’m not obligated to remember every single detail correctly,” Osman explained. “That is unprecedented, and it’s dangerous to victim-blame in that way, and to also hold me to a standard that is not legal.”
“I didn’t see the weapon he hit me with,” the student added. “[A brick] is what it felt like. And that was the only weapon that I saw when I opened my eyes and I looked up…so that’s what I believe the weapon of choice was.”
Osman also told Fox News Digital that she was being targeted by the “manosphere,” a group of anti-feminist social media users.
“The manosphere [is] targeting me…for speaking out against a Black man because Black women are supposed to protect Black men from the justice system,” she said. “But I refuse to be silenced when I have been harmed so brutally.”
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The Houston Police Department claims that Osman was actually in an altercation with a man when she was hit with a water bottle. (Houston Police Department)
According to Osman’s UT–Austin webpage, her interests include “Black feminist theory, ethnography, urban social movements, Black diasporic studies [and] decolonial studies.” Osman told Fox News Digital that the legal situation is making it difficult for her to focus on school.
“It’s a horrible precedent to set for Black women, because Black women are already unprotected, and we are already silenced,” Osman said. “And this is sending a really bad message to all Black women telling them that if you are assaulted, and you do not remember every single detail correctly, you will be criminalized. And that is awful. And it’s a scary, scary thing and I feel so heartbroken.”
GoFundMe told Fox News Digital that Osman has been banned from its website.
The University of Texas Tower on the University of Texas campus in Austin. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images/File)
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“GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform and cooperates with law enforcement investigations of those accused of wrongdoing,” a spokesperson explained. “The fundraiser has been removed from the platform, all donors have been refunded, and Roda Osman has been banned from using the platform for any future fundraisers.”
Fox News Digital reached out to University of Texas at Austin for comment, but has not heard back.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
Los Angeles, Ca
Boyle Heights warehouse cleanup begins as crews face 85 million pounds of spoiled food
Cleanup efforts are underway Thursday at the Boyle Heights cold-storage warehouse that burned for eight days after firefighters officially declared the massive blaze knocked down Wednesday evening. Los Angeles Fire Department crews remain at the Lineage warehouse near Union Pacific Avenue and South La Puente Street as they transition into the overhaul phase, searching for […]
A hospital needs help identifying a male patient who was found injured and unconscious in downtown Los Angeles.
The man is believed to be in his 30s, according to the Los Angeles General Medical Center.
He was found injured on the ground on Omar Street and has been hospitalized since June 22.
He stands 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 176 pounds. He has brown eyes, dark brown hair and tattoos across his upper body.
He did not have any personal belongings to help staff identify him or contact loved ones. Workers did not disclose the nature of his injuries.
Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call clinical social worker Cesar Robles at 323-409-6885.
The public can also call the L.A. General Medical Center’s Department of Social Work at 323-409-5253 or, after hours from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., call 323-409-6883. On weekends, call 323-409-5254.
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