After two years of court processes, Jelani Maraj, Nicki Minaj’s older brother, received his formal verdict on Monday afternoon. Maraj was given a 25-year to life term by Nassau County Supreme Court Judge Robert McDonald. In 2017, McDonald first concluded that Maraj had committed a predatory sexual assault.
The senior Maraj is accused of raping his stepdaughter, who is 11 years old, several times beginning in 2015. The victim and her younger brother reportedly testified in court. Maraj allegedly warned the younger sibling that if he spoke up, he would be hurt. The younger brother later informed school officials.
Did Nicki Minaj write a letter to a judge?
For fans of Minaj, the issue has caused controversy. Previously, Minaj faced criticism for supporting her brother throughout the trial. According to Page Six, Minaj addressed a letter to the judge in 2016 pleading for a less severe sentence for her brother.
In the letter, Minaj called her brother the “most patient, sweet, sincere, giving, unselfish man I know.” Maraj’s lawyer David Schwartz read the letter in court before the sentence.
Maraj apologized in front of the jury while adamantly maintaining his innocence. According to the victim’s unidentified testimony in court, the abuse caused her to have suicidal thoughts.
The media also focused on claims of juror misconduct during the trial. According to Judge McDonald, an alternate juror stated in November that the other jurors “couldn’t wait for him to be found guilty.”
