WPBN: A racist landlord in Virginia was found guilty of harassing and stealing the identities of his black tenants in order to obtain more COVID relief funds. He was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison for his actions.
According to the publication Law & Crime, David L. Merryman, 59, was sentenced to seventeen years in prison for wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and interference with housing and employment based on race.
Merryman owned more than sixty rental homes in Newport News and Hampton, a predominantly Black community on Virginia’s coast.
Merry owned 39 rental homes in Newport News and 23 more in Hampton, according to a press release issued by the Department of Justice.
The majority of his properties were in low-income neighborhoods, and the majority of his tenants were people of African descent with limited credit and housing options who couldn’t afford to live elsewhere.
Furthermore, the residences were in poor condition, with holes in the ceilings and walls, leaks, and rodent contamination, among other issues.
According to the Department of Justice, Merryman participated in a scheme that involved obtaining rent relief benefits to which he was not entitled, as well as fraudulently obtaining large initial payments in the form of security deposits, prepaid rent, and other fees for rental homes in poor condition.
This scheme ran from 2019 to January 2024. Merryman then approached potential renters, offering to lease the rentals for longer tenancy terms on the condition that he remove them as soon as possible in order to restart the cycle of fraud.
“David Merryman deliberately targeted families of color with limited means and housing options,” Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said. “Landlords have a legal obligation to protect the housing rights and human dignity of those to whom they rent. Mr. Merryman failed to meet that responsibility and is now paying a high price for his racial discrimination and fraud.”
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Merryman was accused of using racial slurs to abuse renters of African descent. According to the Department of Justice, Merryman violated his minority renters’ rights to occupy and lease a home free of racially motivated harassment, threats, and violence.
Merryman is accused of harassing his minority tenants by using racial slurs, making comments about slavery, making disparaging remarks, making death threats, and engaging in assaultive behavior based on their race.
Furthermore, he violated at least one victim’s right to work in an environment free of racist threats and assault.
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“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 targeted tenants with few rental options, but he also harassed them racially and subjected them to substandard living conditions.
His victims were frequently mothers or fathers who simply wanted to provide a roof over their families’ heads. We are grateful for today’s sentence, which demonstrates the gravity of these types of offenses as well as the FBI’s dedication to investigating the perpetrators of these crimes.”
Merryman also defrauded tenants by taking their money and property while promising to improve their situation, which he never did.
Merryman forgeried his tenants’ signatures, used their names and personal information without their permission, and filed false rent relief petitions during the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to the DOJ, Merryman also made false statements about the condition of his rental properties and whether he was receiving any other payments that would duplicate federally funded rental assistance in order to receive housing assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
