Nicki Minaj's Brother Still Faces Life In Child Rape Case After Losing Bid In Court: Report

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Nicki Minaj attends The 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 06, 2019 in New York City.
The attorney for Nicki Minaj's brother claimed that there was misconduct among the jury.

Nicki Minaj's brother, Jelani Maraj, has been convicted of predatory sexual assault on a child and child endangerment but he's been trying to have the conviction set aside. He and his legal team claimed there was misconduct among the jury when they turned over the verdict but it appears the judge just wasn't biting. According to Newsday, Maraj's request was denied by the State Supreme Court Justice Robert McDonald. 

(L-R) Micaiah Maraj, Carol Maraj and Jelani Maraj attend 2015 Dress For Success Something To Share Gala -- Chance Yeh/Getty Images

It's been nearly two years since Maraj's conviction after prosecutors successfully accused him of sexually abusing and raping his stepdaughter from 2015 to 2017 from when she was 11-years-old. He denied that any of the allegations were true and essentially claimed that this was extortion to get money from Nicki.

However, David Schwartz, the lawyer for Maraj, said that "there was clear jury misconduct." He argued that social media and news articles influenced the jurors decision.

State Supreme Court Justice Robert McDonald ruled that "not every misstep by a juror rises to the inherent and prejudicial level at which reversal is required." He added that Maraj nor his legal team met the "burden of proof that any misconduct here created a significant risk that a substantial right of the defendant was prejudiced."

Maraj's mother, Carol, called the ruling "unfair."

"The jurors admitted that they were swayed by TV, radio, the bloggers ... listening to what the comments were. Can you tell me why juror misconduct was not proven today? ... This is ridiculous," Carol Maraj said.


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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