Warning: This story contains details some readers may find disturbing. Discretion is advised.
Nicki Minaj‘s older brother, Jelani Maraj, received a sentence of 25 years to life in prison on Monday.
The 40-year-old received his sentencing in a Long Island courtroom, People reports. He was sentenced by State Supreme Court Justice Robert McDonald.
Maraj was first charged with raping a minor in 2015 and was convicted of the crime two years later.
The rapper’s brother will serve a minimum of 25 years for crimes he committed against a child younger than 13, the publication reports.
He was found guilty, after a month-long trial, of predatory sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
In 2017, the Associated Press (AP) reported that the crimes happened in his Long Island home.
He was arrested in December 2015 and was released shortly after his arraignment on $100,000 bail.
Minaj hasn’t spoke on the conviction as yet, or whether or not she paid her brother’s bail that year.
According to People’s report, prosecutors presented trial evidence that showed Maraj began abusing his victim when she was 11, raping her repeatedly between April and November 2015.
The girl testified that Maraj referred to her as “his puppet” and would physically attack her if she refused his advances.
The girl, who was 14 in 2017, testified in excruciating detail about sexual assaults that she said occurred as frequently as four times a week and sometimes twice a day, mostly when Maraj was home alone with the girl, according to AP.
Prosecutors said DNA evidence recovered from the girl’s pajama pants was linked to Maraj. The girl’s younger brother also testified at the trial that he witnessed one assault.
James R. Ray III, a civil attorney who briefly represented the mother, testified that he did demand $25 million from Jelani Maraj, AP reported, after he had already been arrested to settle a potential lawsuit.
However, he said the girl’s mother was unaware of the demand.
AP does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault, and is not identifying the girl’s mother to protect her daughter’s identity.
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