By Sammie Jones
The brother of rapper Nicki Minaj has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl at his home.
Jelani Maraj was convicted of predatory sexual assault and child endangerment in November 2017. The victim gave evidence during the trial that Maraj repeatedly raped her in 2015 in Long Island while her mother was at work.
Prosecutors revealed that DNA evidence recovered from the girl’s pyjamas was linked to Maraj. The girl’s younger brother also claimed to have witnessed one assault. Maraj’s lawyer appealed against the conviction in 2018, citing jury misconduct.
Maraj pleaded for his offence to be mitigated by an alcoholic problem he claimed to have to be on Monday that he had an alcohol problem and asked for a “second chance”. Health issues including hypertension, gout and anaemia was also presented by Maraj’s legal team as factors to be taking into account, as they requested a minimum sentence of 10 years to life. Maraj’s appellate attorney, Stephen Scaring, said he plans to appeal against the judge’s decision.
Image: PA