Man pleads guilty in car crash that killed Nicki Minaj’s father

NEW YORK — A hit-and-run driver pleaded guilty Friday in a suburban New York crash that killed the father of Nicki Minaj and was promised a calendar year or fewer in jail, disappointing prosecutors and the hip hop star’s mom.

In point out court in Very long Island’s Nassau County, businessman Charles Polevich admitted leaving the scene of the February 2021 accident that fatally wounded Robert Maraj as he walked alongside a road in Mineola.

Polevich originally obtained out of his car or truck and appeared at the wounded person on the ground, but then drove off, did not phone 911, garaged his car or truck and lined it with a tarp, authorities said. Polevich pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence by concealing the car.

Maraj, 64, died at a medical center the subsequent working day.

Judge Howard Sturim reported Polevich would get “no extra than 1 yr in jail,” together with neighborhood service and a suspended license. The 71-year-old is thanks to be sentenced Aug. 3.

The victim’s widow, Carol Maraj, informed reporters she was “not happy” with the planned sentence. The widow, who is suing Polevich, claimed observing him in courtroom remaining her shaking at the memory of her husband combating for his existence in the healthcare facility.

Prosecutors, who sought a one particular-to-3-calendar year jail sentence, also took situation with the prepared penalty.

“Given the severity of the defendant’s perform, we disagree with the sentencing commitment from the courtroom,” Nassau County District Attorney’s office environment spokesperson Brendan Brosh stated in a statement.

Polevich’s attorney, Marc Gann, named the hit-and-run “completely out of character” for his customer, who hails from Lengthy Island but has a drilling and h2o purification organization in Guam.

“He does experience large empathy for Mr. Maraj’s family members and great remorse for any position he played in his dying,” Gann claimed by cellular phone following courtroom. He advised that Polevich could have experienced a medical problem that made him not “fully aware of what he was accomplishing,” whilst noting that it was not a legal justification.

Messages were sent to reps for Nicki Minaj, who referred to as her father’s dying “the most devastating reduction of my life” in a article on her website very last calendar year.

The platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated rapper — recognised for tracks together with “Anaconda,” “Starships” and “Super Bass” — was born Onika Tanya Maraj.

In interviews years back, she described a troubled relationship with her father. But she afterwards reported he experienced altered.

After his death, she wrote about wishing she could decide on up the phone and communicate to him.

“He was very loved & will be extremely missed,” she wrote.