Nicki Minaj’s brother Jelani Maraj was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for repeatedly raping his then-11-year-old stepdaughter. On Monday, January 27, a Long Island judge handed down the sentence to the 41-year-old, blaming him for “ruining” his former stepdaughter’s life.
Jelani was convicted on charges of predatory sexual assault and acting in a manner injurious to a child back in 2017. The guilty verdict came two years after he was first arrested in 2015.
On Monday, Nassau County Supreme Court Judge Robert McDonald slammed Jelani for abusing the girl. He said that it’s his “view is that you ruined this child.” The judge said, “You raped this child. You raped her over and over again.”
The victim’s brother witnessed Jelani assaulting his sister and told school officials.
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Nicki, 37, did not appear in court during sentencing. But according to
Page Six, her brother’s lawyer,
David Schwartz, read a 2016 letter that Nicki wrote to try to get him a lighter sentence.
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In the text, the “Super Bass” rapper called her brother the “most patient, gentle, genuine, giving selfless man I know.”
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Jelani also spoke at the hearing, though he continued to maintain his innocence. “I’d like to apologize for the pain that I caused. I had an excessive drinking problem,” he said. He added that he’s “just asking for mercy from the court.”
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The victim, his former stepdaughter, told the court that the abuse made her suicidal. She said, “I didn’t think I could make it through the day without an anxiety attack. I felt I had no voice.”
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Photo credit: MEGA
During his trial, she testified that Jelani had repeatedly raped her between April and November 2015 when he was married to her mother and that she was “his puppet.” She said that if she refused him, he would assault her.
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Photo credit: MEGA
Jelani denied the allegations, saying that it was a lie meant to extort Nicki for millions of dollars. The “Bang Bang” rapper has not publicly commented on the allegations.
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Photo credit: MEGA
Nicki, 37, did not appear in court during sentencing. But according to
Page Six, her brother’s lawyer,
David Schwartz, read a 2016 letter that Nicki wrote to try to get him a lighter sentence.
Photo credit: Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock
In the text, the “Super Bass” rapper called her brother the “most patient, gentle, genuine, giving selfless man I know.”
Photo credit: INSTARImages
Jelani also spoke at the hearing, though he continued to maintain his innocence. “I’d like to apologize for the pain that I caused. I had an excessive drinking problem,” he said. He added that he’s “just asking for mercy from the court.”
The victim, his former stepdaughter, told the court that the abuse made her suicidal. She said, “I didn’t think I could make it through the day without an anxiety attack. I felt I had no voice.”
During his trial, she testified that Jelani had repeatedly raped her between April and November 2015 when he was married to her mother and that she was “his puppet.” She said that if she refused him, he would assault her.
Jelani denied the allegations, saying that it was a lie meant to extort Nicki for millions of dollars. The “Bang Bang” rapper has not publicly commented on the allegations.
