Nicki Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty, has registered as a sex offender in California less than one week after he was arrested for failing to do so.
Petty, 41, was indicted last week for failing to register as a sex offender in the state, after relocating to Los Angeles from New York where he had originally been registered.
The 41-year-old has now been entered into the California Department of Justice’s database. He was required to register as a sex offender after a 1995 conviction in New York.
According to his sex offender profile document, as seen by Entertainment Tonight, Petty has a known alias – Avery Johnson – and his last known address is listed to be in Beverly Hills.
Petty registered as a Level 2 sex offender in New York as a result of being convicted of attempted rape in the first degree in 1995, when he was 15 and the victim was 16. He ultimately served four years behind bars.
Shortly before he married rapper Minaj, Petty moved to California in July last year, at which point he neglected to re-register. Police were then made aware of the issue in November, when officers spoke to Petty during a routine traffic stop.
Petty was subsequently arrested, released on a $20,000 bond, and charged for failing to register – but authorities said he never went through with the registration. He appeared in court on March 4 after turning himself in to U.S. Marshals following his indictment.
Prosecutors asked for Petty to be placed on house arrest, but his attorney objected and the request was denied. Subsequently, he was told he would have to wear an ankle monitor and abide by a curfew.
His case was heard in the Los Angeles District Court on Friday, March 6, and the charges were dropped, but he may still face similar charges in federal court next month. If convicted, Petty faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for failing to register.
Minaj announced her relationship with Petty more than a year ago, and instantly faced backlash from her followers.
Minaj responded to the allegations about her husband in late 2018, when Instagram users criticised Petty about his criminal background.
Writing on Instagram, Minaj said:
He was 15. She 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. Thank you boo.
The couple married last year, with Minaj announcing their marriage in October 2019 by sharing an Instagram video showing ‘Mr. and Mrs.’ mugs and ‘Bride’ and ‘Groom’ baseball caps. She captioned the video with her new legal name, ‘Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty’.
Petty is due in federal court next month.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 802 9999 between 12pm–2.30pm and 7pm– 9.30pm every day. Alternatively, you can contact Victim Support free on 08 08 16 89 111 available 24/7, every day of the year, including Christmas.
Male Survivors Partnership is available to support adult male survivors of sexual abuse and rape. You can contact the organisation on their website or on their free helpline 0808 800 5005, open 9am–5pm Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays; 8am–8pm Tuesdays and Thursdays; 10am – 2pm Saturdays.
A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).