Nicki Minaj’s Brother Charged With Raping A 12-Year-Old Child

Nicki Minaj’s 37-year-old brother, Jelani Maraj, was charged Thursday in Nassau, Long Island with raping a 12-year-old child, according to media reports.

Jelani was arraigned Thursday on charges of first-degree rape and first-degree course of sexual conduct for assaulting the pre-teen, according to online court and jail records. A $100,000 bail was set for his release. Newsday later reported that Maraj was freed from the Nassau County jail on Thursday evening after his bond amount was met.

The identity or the gender of the victim has not yet been released by the authorities investigating the case. It is also not yet known if Nicki helped out with her brother’s release.

Earlier this year, Nicki Minaj paid $30,000 for the wedding hall where Jelani Maraj married his longtime girlfriend Jacqueline Robinson. Nicki was in attendance at the grand wedding ceremony which took place at Coral House in Baldwin back in August, later going on to upload pictures with him on her Instagram account.

Minaj has often referred to Jelani in her songs I’m the Best and Top of the World, while also having no reservations about expressing her fondness of him over social media. During the wedding, Nicki Minaj wrote about her brother in glowing terms.

“”I would cross the ocean for [Jelani]. 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 brother smile.”

The accusation against her brother comes at a time when Nicki Minaj is beginning to be considered one of the most influential female rappers of all time. Only last month, Minaj won the American Music Award for being the best hip-hop artist of 2015.

Moreover, Nicki Minaj is gearing up to executive produce and appear in an ABC Family sitcom based on her immigration from Trinidad and eventual upbringing in Queens, New York. The project has a series commitment and will film a pilot episode in New York this winter, reports Eurweb.

It is not yet confirmed if Jelani Maraj’s character will feature on the show, but early speculations suggested that auditions for his character had already taken place. Nicki Minaj had previously taken to Twitter to express her excitement at the new project.

“Blessed. Highly favored. Grateful. Thankful. In love. In love with the Lord’s mercy,” Minaj wrote. “Heading to my TV auditions. I’ve found some really amazing people. Still looking for the right woman to play my mother. Can’t wait to share.”

Nicki Minaj's brother arrested on child rape charges https://t.co/jC0eT7DJJK pic.twitter.com/8eA5xv5rxv

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) December 6, 2015

But now with Nicki Minaj’s brother being charged with the rape of a child, the immediate fate of the show hangs in the balance.

In earlier interviews that Minaj has given about her family, she has mentioned that her father was abusive when Minaj and her siblings were growing up in New York. However, not much is known of Jelani Maraj’s life outside of his relationship with his superstar sister.

The Nassau County District Attorney refused to give out any more information about the case, or how exactly was Jelani Maraj apprehended, but there is no doubt that this piece of news will come as a shock not only to Maraj’s newly-wed wife, but also to Nicki Minaj and her entire family.

[Photo via Nicki Minaj / Instagram]