Jelani Maraj was ordered to serve 25 years in jail following his conviction for child rape.
Rapper Nicki Minaj’s elder brother, Jelani Maraj, was ordered to serve 25 years in jail following his conviction for child rape.
Jelani Maraj was found guilty of predatory sexual assault and endangering the well-being of a child after a trial in 2017 in New York, related to incidents with his stepdaughter, who was 11 years old at the time of the claims.
The sentence was delayed after the lawyers of Jelani Maraj appealed the verdict amid accusations of jury misconduct, but the challenge was dismissed in October 2019 and, on January 27, he learned the verdict of Judge Robert McDonald, reports tmz.com
Jelani Maraj has always sustained his innocence, accusing his ex-partner Jacqueline Robinson, who is the victim’s mother, of having approached him as part of a US $ 25 million extortion plan for his rapper sister, just four months later that they got married in a luxurious wedding, paid for by Nicki Minaj herself.
Robinson, who filed for divorce in 2016, denied the allegations in court, where jurors also heard evidence of the victim and his younger brother.
![](https://www.wirewag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Nicki-Minaj-and-his-brother-Jelani-Maraj.jpg)
The singer of “Anaconda” has never commented on her brother’s case, although she initially helped rescue him by putting two of her houses as collateral to cover her $ 100 thousand bond.
Later, Nicki was included as a potential defense witness during the trial, although he did not end up testifying on behalf of his brother.