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Nicki Minaj’s Husband Kenneth Petty Arrested for Failing to Register as a Sex Offender
In hot water. Nicki Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty, was arrested on federal charges, according to TMZ. The newly wedded star reportedly turned himself into U.S. Marshals on Wednesday, March 4, on an indictment for failing to register as a sex offender.
Petty, 41, arrived at the Roybal Federal court building in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon for his initial court appearance and his arraignment, In Touch can confirm. He entered a not guilty plea and was later released on a $100,000 bond, a source claims. Petty should be out sometime today.
This shocking development comes after Beverly Hills police made a traffic stop on November 15, 2019. During the stop, authorities discovered he had not registered as a sex offender in California, as he did in New York, according to documents obtained by In Touch. The L.A. County D.A. charged him for failing to register which led to his arrest at the time.
The rapper’s husband was released the same day on a $20,000 bond. In January, the Los Angeles County DA also filed criminal charge against Petty, a felony “failure to register initially or after address change,” In Touch can confirm. On February 25, 2020, In Touch can also confirm the indictment was filed against Petty by federal prosecutors.
As we previously reported, Petty served almost four years in NY state prison due to a 1995 conviction for a first-degree attempted rape. This is when he was first required to register as a sex offender.
If convicted on the new federal charge, he reportedly faces up to 10 years in prison. Looking ahead, Petty must show up to L.A. Superior Court on March 6, and his upcoming trial date has been scheduled for April 28.
The “Starships” performer, 37, and her beau recently made a rare appearance together at the Marc Jacobs Fashion Show during New York Fashion Week. “#Zaddy #MarcJacobs #NYFW,” she captioned a video of herself packing on PDA with Petty on February 12.
In October 2019, the lyricist revealed that she tied the knot with her longtime love by taking to Instagram with a video that showed off two hats which read “Bride” and “Groom.” She captioned the clip, “Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty. 10/21/19.”
Fans had been anticipating the couple’s nuptials, as the chart-topping artist previously shared that she picked up her marriage license at a Beverly Hills courthouse over the summer.
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