Nicki Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty could face 15 months in prison for failing to register as a sex offender in the state of California.
TMZ reports federal prosecutors are refusing to allow Petty to serve his sentence under home confinement, as they argue that the couple’s Calabasas mansion doesn’t equate to a formidable punishment for Petty.
Petty, who is a registered sex offender in the state of New York because he was convicted of first-degree attempted rape in the state in 1995, relocated to California with Minaj in July 2019. He was arrested during a November 2019 traffic stop when authorities noticed he failed to register in Cali, which he is required by law to do. He was later arrested again for failing to register as a sex offender in March 2020, and pleaded guilty in September 2021.
“The timing of defendant’s lapse in registration is concerning, given that it occurred when defendant began dating his wife, quit his job, moved to Los Angeles, and adopted an affluent lifestyle,” prosecutors wrote in the court filing.
“Defendant has been completing sex offender registration documents for nearly 20 years,” the filing stated. “Over the course of two decades, he was repeatedly warned that if he moved to another state, it was his responsibility to follow any local, city, state, federal, or international laws regarding registration.”
Federal prosecutors are now recommending Petty serve 15 months of prison time and five years supervised release as well as $55,000 in retribution. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 6.
