Jelani Maraj Guilty For Sexual Assault - Allegedly Raped A Child Of Age 11
Nowadays, news regarding sexual harassment is becoming a familiar topic in the media, as a handful of renowned personalities like Jeremy Piven, Charlie Sheen, Andrew Kreisberg and Harvey Weinstein have been accused of sexual misconduct.
Today, we are talking about a popular celebrity, Nicki Minaj's brother, Jelani Maraj who was recently sentenced to prison for sexual assault. He was accused of physically abusing a young girl who was just 11 years of age. So, stay until the end as we unveil everything there is to know about the case.
Jelani Maraj's Sexual Assault Case.
Jelani Maraj, the brother of the famous female rapper Nicki Minaj, was accused of sexual assault of repeatedly raping a little girl of age 11. Maraj was on trial for physically forcing himself on the girl on multiple occasions at his Long Island home.
Prosecutors said that Maraj raped the child as often as four times a week and even twice a day when her mother was off to work. Although Maraj denied the allegations, jurors convicted him of abusing the welfare of a child under 13 years of age.
Well, this is not the first time he has been accused, as he was arrested in December 2015 as well, with charges of sexual assault between April and November. But, he soon got released from custody on $100,000 bail.
Although the identity of the girl remains hidden for privacy reason, sources claim she is the daughter of Maraj's ex-wife Jacqueline Robinson, which makes her his step-daughter.
The girl, who is now 14 years old, said that Maraj called her his 'puppet' and expressed there was nothing she could do. She further added that if she refused what he commanded her to do; he would physically attack her. Maraj even gave her the warning to keep the abuse a secret!
Meanwhile, besides the girl herself, her brother was a significant witness to the crime scene. He testified saying that he saw the crime scene happening inside the basement bedroom, where Maraj's "private parts" were touching his sister's body in 2015.
According to TheSun, the boy said he saw her sister's pants were "around her ankles" and he also saw Maraj who was partially clothed,
"I saw his underwear close to his knees,"
He also said Maraj found him later on and slapped him for "about ten times,"
"He asked me if I had seen anything. I said, 'Yes,'. He slapped me on the cheek."
Maraj also warned him to stay silent, or he would take his mother away from him.
Meanwhile, the defense lawyer of Maraj claimed that the accusations were made up by the child's mother to extort $25 million from Nicki Minaj. Reportedly, Maraj's Lawyer countered that the child's mother also beat her, convincing to create false criminal claims with an attempt to get Nicki to pay her family a large sum of money.
Jelani's mother, Carol Maraj also testified saying that the mother of the child victim once told her,
" It's gonna take lots of money to get out of this one".
However, Maraj has been found guilty in Nassau County Court, New York, this week and he will be living his life in prison for the potential of 25 years and will be sentenced on December 14, 2017. However, Maraj's lawyer will still appeal the judgment!
Meanwhile, Maraj's sister, Nicki Minaj hasn't talked publicly on the matter!
Stay with us for the emerging updates on the developing story!