Cincinnati woman pleads guilty to making false racial discrimination claim against landlord

CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati woman who filed a civil lawsuit against her landlord pleaded guilty Tuesday to making false statements accusing him of violating the Fair Housing Act.

Dermisha Pickett, 33, claimed her landlord texted her and left her voicemails saying he wanted her gone because of the color of her skin. In an interview with WCPO 9 in March 2023, Pickett's attorney shared multiple alleged screenshots of texts from her landlord stating he wanted "a white family in this unit" and "will not rent (to) African Americans again."

When she sent those screenshots to the U.S. Attorney's Office, investigators with the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General discovered she had faked the messages using an app on a separate phone.

Phone records from cell phone companies indicated there were no text messages exchanged between Pickett and her landlord under the period in question, prosecutors said.

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Pickett also produced an alleged voicemail from the landlord, which forensic analysis found was linked to a number tied to Pickett and not her landlord.

Investigators said the landlord, who owns more than 100 properties, told agents he did not want to rent to Pickett because she had caused extensive damage to his property. Officials said many of the landlord's current tenants are Black and he has not made any comments about not wanting to rent to Black tenants.

"Making false reports of racial discrimination is unacceptable and can have tangible effects on other tenants who rely on HUD-assisted housing," Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice with the HUD Office of Inspector General said in a release. "In this case, if the landlord had violated the Fair Housing Act, his participation in HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher program may have been revoked, causing the displacement of approximately 50 families who rely on the Housing Choice Voucher program. These families would have been forced to uproot their families to find new homes, incurring non-reimbursable expenses."

Pickett was charged with making a false statement to federal officers in August 2023. That crime is punishable by up to five years in prison.