NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A landlord who owns more than 50 properties on the Virginia peninsula has been sentenced to 17 years in prison, months after pleading guilty to charges of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and race-based interference with housing and employment.
David Merryman, 59, owns dozens of rental properties across Hampton and Newport News.
In a sentencing hearing Wednesday, prosecutors requested a 14-year sentence, asking a federal judge to consider the scope of Merryman’s criminal behavior dating back more than ten years. Defense attorney Andrew Sacks called a 14-year sentence “excessive,” responding with a plea for a six-year sentence for his client…