Virginia Landlord Gets 17 Years In Prison For Harassing And Stealing Black Tenants’ Identities
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A racist Virginia landlord has been sentenced to almost two decades of prison time for harassing his Black tenants and stealing their identities to get extra COVID relief money.
According to Law & Crime, David L. Merryman, 59, was sentenced to 17 years in prison for wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and race-based interference with housing and employment. Merryman owned more than 60 rental properties in Newport News and Hampton, a predominantly Black area in coastal Virginia.
According to a DOJ press release, Merry owned 39 rental properties in Newport News and 23 more in Hampton. His properties were mostly located in low-income areas, and he primarily rented to Black tenants with limited credit and housing options who couldn’t afford to live elsewhere. The homes were also in terrible condition, with holes in the ceilings and walls, leaks and rodent activity, among other issues.
From 2019 through January 2024, Merryman engaged in a scheme that included obtaining rent relief benefits to which he was not entitled and fraudulently obtaining large initial payments in the form of security deposits, prepaid rent, and other fees for rental homes that were in poor repair, according to the DOJ. Merryman then proposed to prospective tenants that he would lease the rentals for longer tenancy terms but intended to evict them as quickly as possible to restart the fraud cycle.
“David Merryman deliberately targeted families of color with limited means and housing options,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Easter District of Virginia. “Landlords have a responsibility under the law to uphold the housing rights and protect the human dignity of the people to whom they rent. Mr. Merryman failed to uphold that responsibility and is paying a heavy price for his racial discrimination and fraud.”
Merryman was accused of harassing Black tenants with racial slurs. According to the DOJ, Merryman harassed his minority tenants with slurs, comments about slavery, mocking comments, death threats, and assaultive conduct related to their race, all in violation of their right to occupy and lease a dwelling free from racially motivated harassment, threats, and force. He also interfered with at least one victim’s right to enjoy employment free from racial threats and assaultive conduct.
“For years, David Merryman used his position of power as a landlord and his tenant’s economic vulnerability to make a profit,” said Brian Dugan, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office. “He not only sought out tenants with few housing options to rent but then continued to racially harass and subject them to unsuitable living conditions. His victims were oftentimes mothers or fathers who just wanted to keep a roof over their family’s heads. We’re thankful for today’s sentence, which showcases the serious nature of these types of offenses, as well as the FBI’s commitment to investigating the perpetrators of these crimes.”
Merryman also defrauded tenants by obtaining money and property from them under the pretense that he would improve conditions, which he never intended to do.
“Merryman specifically sought to rent his derelict properties to vulnerable minority tenants and then subjected them to abhorrent racial discrimination and other abusive conduct,” said Rae Oliver Davis, inspector general for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “His criminal actions were in repulsive disregard for both the law and well-being of his low-income tenants. Today’s sentencing stops his cycle of fraud and abuse and brings Mr. Merryman to justice.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Merryman filed fraudulent rent relief applications, used his tenants’ names and personal information without their consent, and forged their signatures.
To obtain housing assistance payments from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Merryman also made false representations about the condition of his rental properties and whether he was receiving other payments that would be duplicative of federally funded rental assistance, according to the DOJ.
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