Jelani Maraj
 |
This article's content is marked as Mature The page Jelani Maraj contains mature content that may include coarse language, sexual references, and/or graphic violent images which may be disturbing to some. Mature pages are recommended for those who are 18 years of age and older. If you are 18 years or older or are comfortable with graphic material, you are free to view this page. Otherwise, you should close this page and view another page. |
|
Jelani Maraj (born November 27, 1978) is a Trinidad-born entrepreneur and the older brother of singer Nicki Minaj. In 2017 he was convicted in a New York courtroom of repeatedly raping his young stepdaughter, only for his sentencing to be delayed pending an inquiry into juror misconduct. On January 27, 2020, Maraj was sentenced to life imprisonment. He will be eligible for parole in 2045.
Biography edit
Jelani Maraj was born in Port of Spain, the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago, in November 1978. He grew up in the city with three sisters (Maya, Onika/Nicki and Ming) and a brother named Micaiah. Their father Robert was an alcoholic and had developed addictions to other drugs as well. He had a turbulent personality and would resort to violence whenever he got angry. The family moved to the Bronx when Jelani was nine he spent the rest of his childhood there.
As an adult, Jelani owned a successful day-care centre called Ozone Park in New York, and was reportedly thinking about setting up a second branch in New Jersey. His sister Onika "Nicki" Minaj-Petty wrote three songs about him: ‘I’m the Best’, ‘Top of the World’, and ‘All Things Go’.
In 2015, Jelani married his girlfriend Jacqueline Robinson in Baldwin, New York. The wedding reportedly cost over $30,000. The couple adopted at least two children.
In December 2015, Jelani was arrested in Nassau on charges of 'predatory sexual assault against a child' and appeared in court on December 3. His bail was set at $100,000, which he was able to pay. The Nassau district attorney office initially refused to make any comment on the case, including on investigation, how old the child was, and how the authorities found out about the matter.
In court, the victim was revealed to be Jelani's 11-year-old stepdaughter. The young girl testified that he had raped her repeatedly, as many times as twice a day and sometimes four times a week, and beaten her when she resisted. Jelani, she said, had referred to her as his "puppet" and told her she had no choice but to obey him. Her younger brother also claimed to have witnessed Jelani raping his sister. Investigators also found his DNA on the girl's pyjama bottoms.
In November 2017, Jelani was convicted on all counts. His lawyer, David Schwartz, said he would appeal and that the charges were fabricated to collect hush money from Nicki Minaj. James R. Ray III, a civil attorney who served as the mother’s representative for a brief period, admitted in a testimony that while he did ask for $25 million from Maraj after his arrest to settle a possible lawsuit, the mother had no knowledge of it. The appeal was rejected.
In 2018, following allegations of juror misconduct from the defence, the presiding judge ordered an inquiry into the matter. The allegations were originally made by an alternate juror who said that one juror stated that if Minaj did not come to testify in favour of her brother, then Maraj was guilty. However, the inquiry upheld Jelani's conviction and in 2020 he was sentenced to 25 years to life in a New York prison. Minaj has stated that she no longer supports her brother in any way.