Nicki Minaj’s Brother Sentenced to 25 Years to Life in Prison for Sexual Assault of a Child
Nicki Minaj’s brother Jelani Maraj has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for predatory sexual assault against a child, TMZ reports and a court spokesperson confirmed to Pitchfork. He was also sentenced to 364 days in prison for endangering the welfare of a child. Maraj was found guilty of the crimes after a trial in 2017.
When reached by Pitchfork, Jelani Maraj’s attorney David M. Schwartz said, “We will be appealing this excessive sentence. There was clear juror misconduct amongst other issues.”
Jelani Maraj was first charged in the case back in April 2016. He was accused of repeatedly raping his stepdaughter, beginning when she was 11 years old. Schwartz had claimed at various points that the girl’s allegations against Maraj were part of her mother’s $25 million extortion scheme. In October 2019, a Nassau County judge denied Maraj and Schwartz’s bid to have the verdict overturned.
Jelani Maraj has appeared in Nicki Minaj’s lyrics over the years. On 2010’s “I’m the Best,” she named him and her younger brothers as the reasons “why I grind like I do.”
Pitchfork has reached out to Nicki Minaj’s representatives for comment.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence and need to talk, we recommend these resources:
RAINN
https://rainn.org
1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line
https://www.facebook.com/crisistextline (chat support)
SMS: Text “HERE” to 741-741
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
