Nicki Minaj's New Man Served Time For Attempting To Sexually Assault Teen With Knife

RadarOnline.com has learned Nicki Minaj's new boyfriend's sketchy history includes a conviction for attempted first-degree rape.

According to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services , on Sept. 16, 1994, the New York City Police Department Sex Offender Unit arrested Kenneth Petty for "sexual intercourse" with a 16-year-old female.

The official conviction record states the 5' 9" and 170-pound Petty, 40, used a "knife/cutting instrument (e.g., ax, ice pick, screwdriver, switchblade, Kung Fu stars, cane sword, etc.)" during the attempted rape.

He was convicted of the crime on April 5, 1995, and was sentenced to spend between 18 and 54 months in prison.

And after the conviction, Petty, who now works in the music industry, spent seven years behind bars after he was found guilty of manslaughter in 2006. He was set free in 2013.

As RadarOnline.com reported, Minaj, 36, just went public with her troubled new man, showing him off on Instagram .

The "Barbie Dreams" entertainer captioned one sexy photo: "Did you ever make it out of that town where nothing ever happens?...it's no secret…that both of us…are running out of time…."