Jelani Maraj (via Nassau County PD)
Nicki Minaj might be a great rapper and music artist, but her brother is as unsuccessful in life as she is successful. This nasty piece of work was convicted of predatory sexual assault after being arrested for raping an 11-year-old girl many times in his Long Island home.
38-year-old Maraj was found guilty by a Jury on Thursday, and he faces only up to 25 years in jail. With the verdict, his lawyer stated that they would appeal.
The young victim, Maraj’s stepdaughter, now 14 years old was repeatedly raped over eight months starting in 2015, in Maraj’s home on Baldwin, Long Island. The prosecution provided the DNA evidence that supported the allegations, and the younger brother of the victim testified that he was witness to one of the assaults. She claimed that he also performed anal sex with her and slapped her in the face.
The jury reached its verdict very quickly, and 67-year-old Juror Arthur Naclerio from Massapequa stated that listening to their stories was difficult. Naclerio said “What (the victim) went through all that time,” “Thinking that if it was a lie, how could she keep it up that long at that age?”
Maraj’s lawyers state that the rape allegations were made up by the victim’s mother to try and force Niki Minaj to pay $25 million to keep the fabricated story silent. Both Niki Minaj and the accused did not testify.
