David Merryman, a landlord notorious for the deplorable conditions of his properties and years of racial harassment toward Black tenants, was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Dec. 18. The sentencing, delivered by Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson, capped a yearslong investigation into Merryman’s fraudulent schemes and abusive conduct. The judge described his actions as “heinous,” highlighting how Merryman exploited low-income tenants in Newport News and Hampton, Virginia, many of whom had few housing options.

Merryman, 59, owned more than 60 rental properties, many plagued by rodent infestations, rotting floors, and broken plumbing. Investigators revealed that he deliberately targeted Black tenants with limited resources, enticing them with promises of long-term leases only to subject them to racial slurs, threats, and even physical violence. Witnesses recounted chilling incidents, including Merryman blaming a clogged sink on a tenant’s hair extensions and telling another tenant to “clean the house like you were slaves.” In one especially cruel remark, he told a tenant her stillborn child was “karma for not paying rent.”

The scope of Merryman’s fraud extended beyond the mistreatment of tenants. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he falsified tenant signatures and misused their personal information to file fraudulent rent relief applications. Merryman pocketed significant sums from these benefits while attempting to evict tenants for unpaid rent—many of whom were unaware he had collected relief funds on their behalf. His fraudulent actions led to convictions for wire fraud, identity theft, and racial discrimination.

Former tenants and city officials painted a damning picture of Merryman’s conduct during the three-hour sentencing hearing. Yugonda Sample-Jones, one of his former tenants, described him as “manipulative” and “abusive,” while Newport News Director of Codes Compliance Harold Lee Roach Jr. called him “the worst landlord I’ve experienced in 25 years.” Merryman, who apologized during the hearing, claimed he was “truly humbled” by the impact of his actions, though prosecutors and victims expressed skepticism about his remorse.

In addition to his prison term, Merryman will serve two concurrent years for racial discrimination charges. His sentencing, exceeding prosecutors’ original recommendation of 14 years, reflects the gravity of his crimes and the systemic harm inflicted on vulnerable communities. As Judge Jackson noted, Merryman’s actions not only violated laws but also exploited the desperation of tenants “who had nothing.”

The Houston Police Department has filed charges against a man linked to a retired teacher who unknowingly signed away her home to him a few years ago.

Malcolm Pryor, a contractor hired by Wanda Jackson during the COVID-19 pandemic, was charged last Wednesday, March 13, with a second-degree felony of filing a false statement to obtain credit involving $150,000 to $300,000, local station KTRK reported on Monday.

During their investigation, police say they learned that he was falsifying bank documents that appeared to show over $75,000 in his account, according to the report. However, he only had under $300.

Things turned sour for Jackson last September when she was booted from her Houston residence, which she had lived in since the 1970s. This came after Jackson paid Pryor to do some repairs in her home based on a friend’s recommendation.

In 2021, Jackson fell ill and had to undergo therapy — a time she reportedly says she barely remembers. Pryor claimed she failed to pay him for his work, so he filed a mechanic lien. Unbeknownst to Jackson, she signed a warranty deed a year later, giving Pryor ownership of her home.

She was unaware that she was no longer the owner of 5119 Stuyvesant Lane, which had been passed through different owners for months. Documents obtained by KTRK show that Pryor initially sold her home for $50,000. He took out a loan from Noble Mortgage and repurchased it for $262,5000.

Source: ‘Just Thrown Out on the Streets’: Hired Contractor Accused of Selling Texas Woman’s Home Without Her Knowledge Is Charged

In recent years, true crime has become its own genre. With every other memorable celebrity case getting the limited series treatment, we can’t be surprised that it’s Snoop’s turn.

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus are teaming up for the Starz anthology series A Moment in Time: Murder was the Case.

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A Moment in Time is a “seasonal anthology series that will explore the true stories in which iconic hip hop moments collided with the sensational and sometimes criminal events behind-the-scenes.”

The project will tackle the events surrounding Broadus’ 1993 murder trial. He was “charged with first degree murder for the shooting of Philip Woldermariam, a member of a rival gang who was actually killed by Snoop’s bodyguard, McKinley Lee, aka Malik.”

Source: Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent Team for Murder was the Case at Starz

The Rev. Jesse Jackson is scheduled to join his Rainbow PUSH Coalition and other groups on a march in Kenosha on Sunday afternoon to demand criminal justice reform following the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse.

The march is set to trace the route Rittenhouse took the night in August last year when he shot and killed two people and wounded a third during protests over police brutality in the southeastern Wisconsin city, according to a news release.

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The march comes two days after a jury cleared Rittenhouse of all charges. On Saturday, hundreds of people across the country protested his acquittal.

Among other things, the protesters will demand that the Department of Justice investigate the case for further prosecution, including possible aiding and abetting charges against Rittenhouse’s mother, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition said in a statement.

Rittenhouse, a white 17-year-old, traveled to Kenosha from his home in Antioch, Illinois, armed with an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle during a protest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man. His acquittal has led to new debates over racial justice, vigilantism and policing in America.

Derrick Johnson, NAACP president and CEO, said Sunday that the verdict was hard for African Americans to reconcile.

“Here you have a 17-year-old who illegally purchased a gun, traveled across state lines to protect property that was not his, for owners who did not invite him, and he put himself in harm’s way based on the rhetoric that he’s seen on social media platforms,” Johnson told CBS’ “Face the Nation.” He called it “a warning shot that vigilante justice is allowed in this country or in particular communities.”

Source: Jackson to join Kenosha march to protest Rittenhouse verdict