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Jelani without wedding ring

Jelani Maraj Was In Sex Crimes Court Thursday

Nicki Minaj’s brother Jelani Maraj was missing some major support when he made a brief court appearance in Long Island Thursday over charges he repeatedly raped a 12-year-old girl.

BOSSIP’s exclusive photo shows the newlywed Maraj without his wife of four months, Jacqueline, or his wedding band as he walked into the sex crimes division of Nassau County Court in Mineola. With him were a posse of attorneys, but no relatives were in sight.

Jelani Maraj and Jacqueline 2

Maraj married his now-wife, Jacqueline, last September, and he and the mom of three had been living in a home owned by Minaj’s ex-boyfriend Safaree Samuels.

Nicki Minaj and Jelani Maraj

The 37-year-old waited outside the courtroom as his attorneys had a closed door conference. The judge, Terence P. Murphy, had to oversee an unrelated jury selection and was not available to preside over Maraj’s scheduled hearing.

Maraj’s representatives told BOSSIP they had “no comment.”

Maraj was arrested Dec. 1 after the alleged 12-year-old victim said the abuse had gone on since April.

He’s been charged with felony sexual conduct against a child in the first degree, and first degree rape, also a felony. He could face up to 50 years in prison if convicted.

The date of Maraj’s next hearing was not immediately available.

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