Nicki Minaj's Husband Is Officially Facing New Consequences Amid Legal Issues

Nicki Minaj's husband, Kenneth Petty, has been in the middle of some serious legal controversy recently as a result of his 1995 arrest. Petty was charged with first-degree attempted rape, according to Rolling Stone, at the age of 16 in New York. After his arrest, he spent about four years at a New York state prison. While he hasn't been arrested for a similar charge since, he was arrested in 2020 for another reason. Petty relocated to Los Angeles from New York and failed to register as a sex offender after his move, according to NBC News. He was arrested after being pulled over by the Beverly Hills police, but was later released on a $20,000 bail.

According to People, Petty entered a plea deal in 2021 for the offense and was set to go to trial in 2022. Minaj and Petty were sued by his rape victim, Jennifer Hough, for intimidating her to take back her accusations against Petty. She claims they offered her $20,000 cash and $500,000 total to recant her statement, according to People, which she denied to take. 

Hough is suing Petty and Minaj for emotional distress. She told the New York Times in 2021, "If I lie now and say that I lied then, you know what that does?" She continued, "Do you know what that's going to say to my two little girls, or even my sons?" Now, Petty is facing new legal consequences for his previous actions.

Kenneth Petty, Nicki Minaj's husband, has officially been sentenced after failing to register as a sex offender in the state of California. Before the hearing, he was facing a maximum sentence of 10 years. According to People, the hearing took place in Los Angeles on July 6 and a verdict was reached. Petty will have to pay a $55,000 fine, according to CBS News, and was sentenced to a year of home detention and three years probation.

Petty pleaded guilty to failing to a register as a sex offender in California last year. His attorneys, Michael Goldstein and Hagop Kuyumjian, released a statement via USA Today, which read, "We appreciate and respect the Court's decision granting the defense request for probation and home confinement."

Following his sentencing, Minaj posted a photo of Petty with their son (his name is still unknown) on Instagram in support of her husband. The second photo in the carousel features Minaj posing with Petty as he carries their son on his shoulders. According to the Daily Mail, Minaj and Petty live in a multi-million-dollar mansion in Calabasas where he will complete his house arrest. The couple have been dating since 2018 and got married in 2019.  The couple has yet to release a statement on the sentencing.