Nicki Minaj’s Brother Found Guilty of Raping His Former Stepdaughter

After a trial that contained some harrowing testimony, Jelani Maraj, Nicki Minaj's brother, was found guilty on Thursday of sexually assaulting his former stepdaughter.

Maraj was convicted in Nassau County Court of predatory sexual assault on a child, and an additional charge of endangering the welfare of a child. He could potentially get up to life in prison.

Maraj's lawyer, David Schwartz, told Newsday that he expects Maraj to win an appeal. But prosecutors laid out an elaborate case showing that Maraj had repeatedly raped the then-11-year-old girl multiple times in 2015—abuse that the girl confirmed in graphic detail in her time on the stand.

She said that Maraj, who was married to her mother at the time, told her she would be separated from her mom if she ever told anyone what was going on. He also, she said, slapped her if she attempted to resist him.

Maraj's team said the claim of sexual abuse was part of an extortion plot—a way to get $25 million out of his rap star sibling. But that claim largely went down the drain when Maraj's semen was found on the victim's pajama bottoms.