Nicki Minaj’s Brother Sentenced to 25 Years to Life for Child Rape
Nicki Minaj's brother was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison following his child rape case.
TMZ reports Jelani Maraj learned his fate in a New York courtroom on Monday (January 27) nearly two years after a jury found him guilty of "predatory sexual assault against a child and endangering the welfare of a child" for repeatedly raping his 11-year-old stepdaughter while her mother was at work.
Maraj denied the allegations, claiming the story was fabricated in order to extort his famous younger sister. However, the victim, who is now 14 years old, testified during the trial in excruciating detail about sexual assaults that occurred. She said Maraj called her "his puppet" and revealed he raped her as frequently as four times a week and sometimes twice a day between April and November 2015 while he was married to her mother.
The victim’s brother testified that he saw Maraj touching his sister after walking in on them in 2015. Prosecutors also had DNA evidence recovered from the girl's pajama pants that were linked to Maraj.
The rapper did not testify at the trial even though Maraj's defense lawyers said she was on the witness list.
Following his 2017 guilty conviction, sources told TMZ Minaj and her brother grew apart and that she only visited him in jail to support their mother Carol. She has yet to comment on his sentencing and/or conviction.