Celebrity News

Nicki Minaj’s husband strikes plea deal for failing to register as sex offender

Nicki Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty, reportedly has struck a plea deal after he was arrested in 2020 for failing to register as a sex offender in California.

Petty has agreed to plea guilty to one count of failing to register in return for a shorter sentence, according to documents obtained by TMZ.

The outlet reported the “mandatory minimum sentence is 5 years of supervised release” and the maximum sentence is “10 years in prison with a lifetime of supervised release.” It’s unclear when he will be sentenced.

Petty, 43, was first ordered to register as a sex offender in California in November 2019 after he was pulled over by the Beverly Hills Police Department. In March 2020, he was placed in federal custody for failing to register.

Petty — who was convicted in 1995 of attempting to rape a 16-year-old girl — was already registered in the state of New York, where he moved from after marrying Minaj in 2019. He is now registered in the state of California.

In December 2018, Minaj came to her husband’s defense, writing on social media, “He was 15, she was 16 … in a relationship. But go awf, internet, y’all can’t run my life. y’all can’t even run y’all own life.”

The couple welcomed their first child together, a baby boy, in September 2020. The pair have yet to reveal the baby’s name, but earlier this year, she shared photos of him on social media.

“#PapaBear thank you so very much for choosing me to be your mama 🎀🦄🙏 ,” she wrote alongside the snaps.

She added, “Becoming a mom is by far the most fulfilling job I’ve ever taken on. Sending love to all the superhero mothers out there.”

A rep for Minaj did not immediately return our request for comment.