Kenneth Petty Sentenced To In Home Detention For Sex Offender Charge

More legal trouble appears to be brewing for Nicki Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty. The Queens native was sentenced to three years probation and a year of in-home detention after he failed to register as a sex offender in California.

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According to PEOPLE, Petty was required to register in 2020, but now that he’s ignored the court order, he’ll have to pay a hefty $55,000 fine in addition to the aforementioned penalties.

Petty was convicted of first-degree attempted rape in 1995 after he was accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl. He was sentenced to spend up 54 months behind bars, but he only served four years of his prison sentence. Petty is considered a level two registered sex offender in the state of New York, which is considered “a moderate risk of repeated offense,” according to New York’s Division of Justice Department.

Kenneth Petty was indicted back in March 2020

Back in March 2020, Petty was arrested after he was indicted for failing to register as a sex offender in California, where he now resides with Minaj and their son. He later pleaded not guilty and posted $100,000 bail.

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Prior to the incident, the father of one faced a slew of legal trouble after he was pulled over by the Beverly Hills Police Department in Nov 2019. Officials questioned why he was registered as a sex offender in New York, but not in California.

Jennifer Hough, Petty’s alleged rape victim, filed a lawsuit in August accusing him and Minaj of “bribery, intimidation, harassment, and stalking.” Hough claimed that the couple was attempting to pressure her to recant her statements about the alleged attack.

“During the call, Defendant Minaj stated that she heard plaintiff was willing to ‘help out’ their situation and stated that she would fly plaintiff and her family to Los Angeles. Plaintiff declined this offer,” Hough’s lawsuit stated at the time, according to Rolling Stone.

The suit also claims that Minaj allegedly offered her hush money of up to $500,000. However, the suit against Minaj was later dropped by Hough in January. Hough’s legal team however says her lawsuit against Kenneth Petty is still pending.