Jelani Maraj, brother of rapper Nicki Minaj, was found guilty in a case filed for predatory sexual assault on a child, according to a report published on People Magazine.
The jury of Nassau County Court in New York sentenced him to 25 years in jail on Thursday.
The trial continued over a month. The convict is at Nassau County Jail and will be there until his final sentencing on December 14.
Maraj was first arrested in connection with the case in early December, 2015. Soon after his arrest, he got out of custody on a $100,000 bail, reportedly backed by two of his sisters.
His defence alleged that the allegations brought against Maraj were fabricated in an attempt to extort $25 million from his sister Nicki Minaj.
When contacted by People magazine, Maraj’s attorney David Schwartz did not make any comment. However, it is still unclear whether he will appeal against the verdict.
Hollywood celeb Minaj has never commented publicly on the charges against her brother Maraj.
The prosecution alleged during the trial that Maraj started abusing the victim when she was as young as 11 and raped her repeatedly between April and November in 2015 while her mother was at work.
The girl, who is now 14, testified that Maraj called her “his puppet” and said she had “no say” in the things that were being done to her. He physically attacked her when she refused his sexual advances, she added.
The girl also told the jury that Maraj warned her to keep the abuse a secret.
Maraj’s lawyers countered that the girl’s mother beat her into complying with the fraudulent criminal claims, as part of an attempted shakedown of Maraj’s superstar singer sister, Nicki Minaj.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
