WPBN: A landlord in Virginia who was racist was found guilty of harassing his black tenants and stealing their identities in order to obtain additional COVID relief money. He was sentenced to almost twenty years in prison for his actions.
The publication Law & Crime reports that David L. Merryman, who is 59 years old, was given a sentence of seventeen years in prison for the crimes of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and interference with housing and employment based on race.
There were more than sixty rental homes that Merryman owned in Newport News and Hampton, which is a primarily Black area in the coastal region of Virginia.
Merry was the owner of 39 rental homes in Newport News and 23 more in Hampton, according to a press statement issued by the Department of Justice.
The majority of his homes were situated in low-income neighborhoods, and the majority of the people he rented to were people of African descent who had limited credit and housing options and who were unable to afford to live elsewhere.
In addition, the residences were in a horrible state, with a variety of problems including holes in the ceilings and walls, leaks, and rodent contamination, among other problems.
According to the Department of Justice, 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.
This scheme lasted from 2019 until January 2024. Merryman then made a proposition to potential renters, stating that he would lease the rentals for longer tenancy terms, but on the condition that he wanted to remove them as early as possible in order to resume 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 Easter District of Virginia stated. “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.”
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It was alleged that Merryman used racial slurs to abuse renters who were of African descent. According to the Department of Justice, Merryman violated the rights of his minority renters to occupy and lease a dwelling that was free from racially motivated harassment, threats, and force.
It is alleged that Merryman harassed his minority tenants by using racial slurs, making comments about slavery, making ridiculing comments, making death threats, and engaging in assaultive behavior connected to their race.
In addition to this, he violated the right of at least one victim to have employment that was free from racist threats and assaultive behavior.
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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,” Brian Dugan, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office stated. “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 scammed tenants by taking their money and property while claiming to improve circumstances, something he never did.
Merryman falsified his tenants’ signatures, used their names and personal information without their permission, and submitted false rent relief petitions during the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to the DOJ, Merryman also made false statements regarding the state 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 payments from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
