The trial of Nicki Minaj’s brother, Jelani, began Thursday, with his attorney telling jurors the charges against him are based on lies.
Jelani, 37, was arrested in 2015 and charged with predatory sexual assault of a child. He is accused of abusing his young stepdaughter over a period of months, and officials have alleged he threatened that she would be taken from her family if she told anyone. He is presumed innocent, and his attorney says the allegations are false.
Defense attorney David Schwartz claims the case is an extortion plot aimed at getting $25 million from Nicki. Schwartz says the girl’s mother pushed the children to lie to officials, and that she contacted Nicki saying the charges would go away if the rapper paid. Those are defense claims that have not been proven, and the mother’s response was not included in reports at the time.
According to TMZ, Nicki is expected to take the stand in her brother’s defense to back up the extortion claims, and she is reportedly set to be a key witness. It was unclear when she would testify.
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