Jelani Maraj's defence lawyer David Schwartz points out that some of the jurors violated the State Supreme Court Justice instructions by sharing guilty verdicts before the trial was over.
- October 29, 2018
AceShowbiz - Authorities in New York are preparing to investigate allegations of jury misconduct relating to the child rape conviction of Nicki Minaj's brother.
Jelani Maraj, who always maintained his innocence, was found guilty of predatory sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child following a trial in New York last year (17), relating to incidents with his stepdaughter, who was 11 at the time of the claims.
He is currently facing 25 years to life in prison, but his defence attorneys recently raised concerns about the trial's jurors, and questioned their reasons behind the guilty verdict.
According to Newsday, Maraj's legal team has obtained an affidavit from an alternate juror, who claims one of the main jury members declared Maraj must be guilty if his famous sister didn't testify on his behalf.
The rap superstar was not called to the witness stand, and has never commented on the case.
Defence lawyer David Schwartz also alleges that some jurors had shared their guilty verdicts before the trial was even over, violating the instructions issued by State Supreme Court Justice Robert McDonald.
Judge McDonald has now set up an inquiry hearing for 15 November to look into the accusations.
