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Nicki Minaj Pays Brother’s Bail After Child Rape Arrest

By Patricia Grannum
Published on: 12:29 PST, Dec 5, 2015

Nicki Minaj has reportedly paid her brother Jelani Maraj’s bail after he was arrested for allegedly raping a child younger than 13.

According to an article by the Associated Press (via USA Today), Jelani, 37, was charged with first-degree rape and first-degree sexual conduct against a child. He was arraigned at the Nassau University Medical Center in Long Island after suffering an undisclosed medical incident that required him to be hospitalized.

The New York Post got a hold of the court papers which confirm that Nicki Minaj, born Onika Maraj, did in fact post his $100,000 bail using two of her houses as collateral. One of the home is currently being used by her brother and the other is used by her mother, Carol.

Minaj will also be responsible for all of the fees linked with securing the bond for her brother. This is usually 6 to 10 percent of the bond amount, so that translates to $6,000 to $10,000.

According to the New York Post, had the bond been higher, like in the region of the $500,000 that prosecutors had originally asked for, Minaj was prepared to produce a letter of credit from a California bank worth over $2 million.

“She was prepared to do anything for her brother,” a reported source close to the New York rapper told the New York Post.

The bail procedure was handled by bail bondsman to the stars, Ira Judelson. Judelson’s previous cases include bonds for Plaxico Buress, Lil Wayne, Kat Williams, and Dominique Straus Kahn’s $6 million bail bond. Judelson has not commented on Nick Minaj’s brother’s case and defense lawyers, Ben Brafman and Andrea Zellan.

According to the Nassau County District Attorney’s office, Jelani Maraj is due to return to court on December 9. There are no reports on whether he has entered a plea as yet.

Minaj attended — and reportedly paid for — Jelani’s wedding to then fiancé Jacqueline Robinson earlier this year. She posted a photo of herself and Jelani on Instagram at the time along with this heartfelt message.

“I would cross the ocean for u. I would go & bring u the moon. Promise u. For u I will,” she wrote in the caption for the photo. “I love my brother so much man. Can’t believe I cried during his wedding and his first dance like a punk. May God bless him and his union. Tonight has been one of my favorite nights of all time. I do anything to see my brothers smile.”

The New York Daily News reported that Jelani Maraj is accused of raping a minor on November 30. “The victim was someone he had access to,” a source said. Maraj lives with his wife Jaqueline and two children in a two-story home in Baldwin, Long Island. Neighbors were surprised by the report, according to the article in the New York Daily News. “I was shocked!” a 73-year-old neighbor said. “I was upstairs in the office. My wife called and she says, ‘You’ll never believe what I just heard on the news.'”

“They’re very friendly, always call me by my name and wave to me,” the neighbor continued. “Nothing unusual. No rowdiness. No noise.”

These charges against her brother come at a time when Nicki Minaj is developing an ABC Family drama centered around her life before fame and fortune. According to Deadline.com, ABC has confirmed that Tim Story will direct and that Nicki Minaj will star in the 30-minute comedy series based on her family’s immigration to the United States in the early 1990s. The show will also focus on Nicki’s musical evolution and her rise to stardom in the world of hip hop music.

ABC Family recently announced an open casting call for a tween actress to play her younger self in the show.

[Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]

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