Nicki Minaj’s brother’s legal case has reached a conclusion.
Trigger Warning: Please be advised, the following article contains details involving the sexual assault of a minor.
According to AP News, Jelani Maraj was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison on predatory sexual assault and child endangerment charges. Maraj was convicted in November 2017.
During the trial, the then-14-year-old victim testified that Maraj repeatedly raped her in 2015 when she was 11 years old at his Long Island home while her mother was at work.
AP further reports:
Prosecutors have said DNA evidence recovered from the girl’s pajama pants was linked to Maraj. The girl’s younger brother also testified at the trial that he witnessed one assault.
Maraj’s attorney appealed (the) conviction in 2018, claiming that there was jury misconduct. The judge ruled in October that the defense did not meet the necessary burden of proof.
Maraj said in court Monday that he had an alcohol problem and asked for a “second chance.” One of his attorneys said he suffered from health issues including hypertension, gout and anemia and requested the minimum sentence of 10 years to life.
Maraj’s mother, Carol Maraj, attended the sentencing hearing on Monday.
Maraj’s appellate attorney, Stephen Scaring, is reportedly planning to appeal the judge’s decision. His legal team accused the victim’s mother of using the allegations as a scheme to convince Minaj to pay $25 million in hush money, per NBC New York.
In 2017, Billboard reported Minaj was scheduled to testify in the trial in connection with those accusations.