A Virginia landlord, David L. Merryman, 59, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for a series of crimes including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and race-based interference with housing and employment. Merryman, who owned over 60 rental properties in Newport News and Hampton, primarily rented to low-income Black tenants, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Merryman’s properties, mostly located in low-income areas, were in deplorable conditions with issues such as holes in ceilings and walls, leaks, and rodent infestations. Despite these conditions, Merryman exploited his tenants by charging them repeated security deposits without making necessary repairs.
In one instance in October 2022, Merryman rented a home to a Black tenant that lacked a working stove or refrigerator and had a bathroom tub with a hole in it. Despite promising to fix these issues, Merryman charged the tenant an initial deposit of $1,000 and a move-in deposit of $1,600 two weeks later. When the tenant requested repairs, Merryman responded with racial slurs and derogatory comments.
In February 2023, Merryman and a group of men trespassed on one of his properties. When confronted by the tenant, Merryman threatened him with a brick and made racially charged remarks. Prosecutors noted that Merryman followed a pattern of fraudulently obtaining large initial payments for rental homes in poor repair, then attempting to evict tenants as quickly as possible to repeat the scheme with new tenants.
“David Merryman deliberately targeted families of color with limited means and housing options,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. She emphasized that landlords have a legal responsibility to uphold housing rights and protect the dignity of their tenants, a responsibility that Merryman failed to meet.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Merryman exploited relief funds intended for renters. Prosecutors revealed that he forged tenant signatures to pocket the cash, then proceeded to evict or threaten eviction of those same tenants. In one case, Merryman forged a tenant’s signature to receive about $15,100 in rent relief benefits, then evicted her while she was hospitalized and had her belongings discarded and her car towed.
“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 added that Merryman not only sought out tenants with few housing options but also racially harassed them and subjected them to unsuitable living conditions.