(AllHipHop News) Rapper Nicki Minaj’s brother has asked a judge to dismiss the guilty verdict in his child rape case.
Jelani Maraj was found guilty of predatory sexual assault against a child and endangering the welfare of a child in November of 2017 and now faces 25 years to life in prison.
He was set to be sentenced on Tuesday (February 20th), but his attorney, David Schwartz, has asked Nassau County Supreme Court Judge Robert McDonald to toss the conviction.
According to reports, the judge has yet to rule on the request.
During the trial, his defense lawyers claimed Jelani’s estranged wife, Jacqueline Robinson – the mother of the girl at the center of the drama, set him up as part of a $25 million extortion plot just four months after they tied the knot in a lavish wedding, which “Anaconda” hitmaker Nicki paid for.
Robinson, who filed for divorce in 2016, denied the allegations during her testimony, while the court also heard evidence from the victim and her younger brother, who claimed he walked in on Maraj assaulting his sister.
Nicki has never commented on the case publicly, but she previously helped to secure her brother’s freedom following his arrest by putting up two of her homes for collateral as she covered his $100,000 bail.