Jelani Maraj, the brother of Nicki Minaj, was found guilty of raping an 11-year-old girl at his Long Island home and received a 25-year to life sentence on Monday.
Maraj was detained in December 2015 and charged with endangering children and engaging in predatory sexual assault on them. Maraj was convicted in 2017.
At the time, according to The Associated Press, his attorney said he would appeal the decision and accused the mother of the girl of fabricating the claims to get Minaj to pay the family $25 million. The mother of the girl rejected the suggestion.
According to Newsday, a Long Island judge rejected his request for a new trial in October based on a claim of jury misconduct.
The girl claimed at the trial that Maraj had been raping her frequently—sometimes twice daily—since April 2015, according to the AP.
Did Nicki Minaj pay her brother’s bond?
Maraj and Minaj were apparently close before Maraj was found guilty. The pop sensation covered the $100,000 bond for her brother when he was charged in December 2015. However, after Maraj’s criminal conviction, sources told the Daily Mail, the siblings’ bond grew distant.
