Nicki Minaj’s Husband Kenneth Petty Dropped Bid to Be Scrubbed From New York Sex Offender List After Government Presented Bombshell Evidence
June 27 2023, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Nicki Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty was unsuccessful in his attempt to have his name removed from the New York Sex Offender registry, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, earlier this year, Kenneth informed a federal court judge he was dropping his lawsuit against the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.
Back in the early ‘90s, Kenneth was accused of first-degree rape of a woman named Jennifer Hough. Eventually, he hashed out a plea deal and the charge was reduced to attempted rape.
As part of his sentence, Kenneth served 4 years in prison.
In his complaint, filed in 2021, Petty claimed he was never notified of a 2004 hearing which would have allowed him to contest his status as a medium-risk sex offender.
In court, Kenneth’s lawyer argued that his client was incarcerated for separate crimes from 2003 to 2013, and was not allowed a proper chance to oppose the registry requirement.
The government argued Kenneth’s claims were “meritless.” They presented a transcript of the 2004 hearing which showed he was present for the hearing.
“[Kenneth] was present at the SORA hearing and represented by counsel, who stated that [Kenneth did not object to his designation as a level 2 sex offender – the Court need not even reach this issue,” the government said. “[Kenneth] acknowledged his identity on the record, and his counsel stated that [Kenneth] did not contest his designation as a level 2 sex offender.”
Then, Kenneth’s lawyer filed documents informing the court he was dropping his case. A lawyer working with Kenneth’s attorney argued it was likely Nicki’s husband forgot about the hearing in question because he was very young at the time.
At the time, they told the New York Daily News, “We were just going according to his statement, what he’s telling us, that he wasn’t present. He still says that he wasn’t there and maybe someone is putting this together just to get him. I don’t think that he purposely lied to us. I just believe maybe he forgot.”
As RadarOnline.com first reported, Kenneth is not only on the New York Sex Offender registry, but he recently updated his profile on the California registry after moving into a new $20 million home with Nicki.
In 2021, Jennifer sued Nicki and Kenneth accusing them and their associates of harassing her in an attempt to have her recant her accusations. At one point, she claimed they offered her $500k, which she declined.
Recently, Jennifer dismissed all claims against Nicki. However, her lawsuit continues on against Kenneth.