Tenant created fake racist text messages from landlord in Ohio, feds say
An Ohio woman has pleaded guilty to charges of making false statements after officials say she accused her landlord of sending racist text messages.
In March 2023, the 33-year-old woman met with agents from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to show the agents “discriminatory messages” she said her landlord sent her, according to a Feb. 20 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
The messages said the landlord did not want African Americans living in his property, according to officials.
“I don’t really want to go into that conversation but I just don’t want African Americans in this unit at this time I’m sorry, ” one message read, according to a criminal complaint.
The woman said she tried to pay her portion of the rent, but the landlord returned it, documents read. She also showed proof of the returned payment, along with a printout of the text messages to HUD agents and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
“It’s nothing against you I will just rather put a white family in this unit,” a message said. “You did nothing wrong I just don’t want a family of color here maybe you should try to go to a shelter.”
Another text said the landlord would not fix any issues because he did not want the woman living in his property, according to officials.
“I told you I’m not getting anything the inspection will fail because I’m not fixing anything or doing anything until you are gone,” it read. “I will not rent (to) African Americans again I don’t know why the previous landlord did ... so please stop texting me.”
The woman said the landlord then gave her a 3-day eviction notice, court records read.
When officials met with the landlord, he denied evicting the woman because she was African American and said he didn’t send her any texts messages to that effect, according to officials.
The landlord told officials he owned over 100 properties and the majority of the residents were minorities, and his reason for evicting the woman was because she was ”causing a lot of damage to the residence.”
The landlord gave officials his phone and allowed them to examine his text messages, officials said in court records. The text messages the woman provided were not found on the phone.
The landlord also “met with agents at the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority to have his phone forensically extracted,” the complaint said. Investigators did the same to the woman’s phone.
“Subpoena requests were sent to multiple entities, including Verizon and T-Mobile. Neither (the landlord) nor (the woman’s) phone records show that text messages were exchanged with each other at the time of the messages produced by (the woman),” court records said.
Officials believe the woman used mobile applications to create the fake text messages.
On Feb. 20, the woman pleaded guilty in federal court. A sentencing date was not provided in court records.
McClatchy News reached out to the woman’s attorney on Feb. 26 but did not immediately hear back.
Landlord pressured tenants for sex acts, evicted those who refused, feds say. Now he owes
Landlord assaulted tenants with chainsaw, shovel and stole their money, feds say
Landlord shoots and kills tenant when both grab guns during argument, Texas cops say
