Nicki Minaj’s husbandKenneth “Zoo” Pettyhas entered a plea deal for failing to register as a sex offender in the state of California, PEOPLE can confirm.
He now faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release.
Petty’s sentencing has been scheduled for Jan. 24, 2022.
An attorney for Petty and a representative for Minaj did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
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Petty is required to register as a sex offender, as he was convicted for the first-degree attempted rape of a 16-year-old girl in 1995. He was sentenced to 18 to 54 months, but spent four years in prison. Petty is a level tworegistered offenderin New York, which means he’s considered a “moderate risk of repeat offense.”
Kenneth Petty and Nicki Minaj.Johnny Nunez/Getty Images
Last month, Petty’s alleged rape victim, Jennifer Hough,filed a lawsuitagainst him and Minaj, 38, in which she accused the pair of attempting to intimidate her into recanting her rape accusation.
The lawsuit also accused Petty and Minaj, whomarried in October 2019, of intentional infliction of emotional distress and alleged that the couple had offered Hough up to $500,000 to recant her claims.
“If I lie now and say that I lied then, you know what that does?” Hough toldThe New York Timesin August. “Do you know what that’s going to say to my two little girls, or even my sons?”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 connected to a certified crisis counselor.
source: people.com
