The driver who hit and killed Nicki Minaj’s father has been sentenced to 1 year in prison
Rapper Nicki Minaj’s father died in 2021 after being hit by a driver in Mineola, Long Island. Now the man behind the wheel in the incident faces a year in prison for the crime.
Nicki Minaj’s father died in 2021 after being hit by a speeding driver
In February 2021, Charles Polevich was driving a 1992 Volvo station wagon when he hit Robert Maraj, the father of rapper superstar Nicki Minaj. Prosecutors said he first checked if Maraj was okay before leaving, leaving him on the side of the road. He went home and covered his car with a tarp in his garage.
Polevich, 72, told the court he was “heartbroken since he realized the scale of the tragedy” and there was “no excuse” for his behavior.
In May 2022, Polevich pleaded guilty to leaving the scene and tampering with evidence in the hit-and-run case. He was also fined $5,000 and had his driver’s license suspended for six months.
Minaj’s mother and Maraj’s widow, Carol Maraj, were unhappy with how the court sentenced Polevich. According to Associated Pressshe said in court that Polevich left her husband “like a dog on the street” and that his short prison sentence was a “slap in the face for the family”.
Prior to the hit-and-run accident, Polevich split his time between Long Island and Guam, where he runs a drilling and water purification business.
The man was sentenced to a year in prison
Prosecutors initially asked for a sentence of one to three years behind bars, but a Nassau County judge said in May 2022, when Polevich pleaded guilty, that he would get “no more than a year in prison.” jail “. The district attorney’s office ruled he deserved a longer sentence “given the seriousness of the defendant’s conduct.”
Polevich’s attorney asked for a 90-day jail sentence, citing other factors that led to the accident, including road construction, streetlights that didn’t work, and Maraj’s physical condition.
Carol Maraj, meanwhile, is suing the accident.
Nicki Minaj’s relationship with her father
Growing up, Nicki Minaj witnessed her father’s alcohol abuse firsthand. At one point, he even burned down their house.
Following her death in 2021, Minaj shared her thoughts on her website.
“I can say this was the most devastating loss of my life. I find myself wanting to call her all the time. Especially now that he is gone,” she wrote. “May his soul rest in paradise. He was much loved and will be greatly missed.
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