In November, Nicki Minaj’s brother Jelani Maraj was found guilty of sexually assaulting his former stepdaughter. According to Page Six, Maraj’s sentencing was postponed for a month on Tuesday, as his lawyer attempts to have the conviction tossed out. He is facing up to life in prison.
The disturbing trial that made headlines last fall included testimony from his 13-year-old former stepdaughter detailing the repeated abuse she experienced from Maraj, who allegedly raped her multiple times when she was 11 years old in 2015. In her testimony, she claimed that Maraj threatened to take her away from her mother if she resisted the abuse. A 10-year-old boy also testified during the trial, claiming that he witnessed Maraj raping his older sister. The boy also said Maraj threatened him into covering up the abuse by slapping him. A doctor provided physical evidence to the case, showing that the victim’s medical records revealed that she was having sex.
During the case, Maraj’s legal team claimed that Nicki Minaj would be taking the stand to defend her brother. That never happened. A Nassau County jury convicted Maraj of predatory sexual assault of a child and endangering the welfare of a child. At the time of the conviction, his lawyer David Shwartz announced their plan to appeal the case.
Nassau County Supreme Court Judge Robert McDonald has not decided on Schwartz' motion to toss the guilty verdict. The lawyer is claiming that the allegations were concocted by the victim’s mother to extort $25 million from Minaj’s brother. That claim, however, is dubious considering the evidence of semen found on the his stepdaughter’s pajama bottoms.
