LOS ANGELES — The husband of rapper Nicki Minaj was arrested by U.S. Marshals after he failed to register as a sex offender, according to reports.
E! News confirmed through the United States Attorney's Office of Los Angeles that Nicki Minaj's husband, Kenneth Petty, surrendered to authorities and was taken into custody in L.A. Wednesday.
New York state records show Petty was convicted back in 1995 of first-degree attempted rape. He was 16 years old at the time.
An indictment obtained by both E! News and reported by NBC 4 in New York says Petty moved to California in July 2019 but did not register as a sex offender. He was reportedly pulled over Nov. 15 in Los Angeles County and it was there that police determined he was a convicted sex offender in New York.
The indictment states:
"Beginning on or about July 14, 2019, and continuing through on or about November 15, 2019, in Los Angeles County, within the Central District of California, and elsewhere, defendant Kenneth Petty, an individual who was required to register pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act ("SORNA"), as a result of being convicted of Attempted Rape in the First Degree, in violation of New York Penal Code Section 110-130.35, a felony, on or about April 5, 1995, in the Supreme Court for the State of New York, Queen County, case number 4521-94, and having, after said conviction, traveled in interstate commerce, knowingly failed to register as a sex offender as required by SORNA."
According to New York State's Sex Offender Registry, while Petty can move to other states or countries as a convicted sex offender, he must notify the Division of Criminal Justice Services no later than 10 days after the move.
Nicki Minaj, who has known Petty since childhood, is aware of his criminal past.
When it was revealed that Petty and Nicki Minaj were in a relationship, fans of the rapper on social media questioned why she would be romantically involved with someone convicted of attempted rape.
In December 2018, Nicki Minaj defended Petty saying "He was 15, she [the victim] was 16...in a relationship. But go awf, [sic.] Internet. Y'all can't run my life. Y'all can't even run y'all own life."
The couple married in October 2019.
Nicki Minaj has not publicly acknowledged Petty's latest arrest.
