Nicki Minaj Pardon Rumours Explained: Trump Has No Power Over Her Brother's New York State Conviction

Trump has no power to pardon Nicki Minaj's brother, Jelani Maraj, despite online rumours that she is seeking the president's help to secure Maraj's release. A New York jury convicted Maraj of a child sex crime under state law. Presidents cannot pardon state crimes. No available published report shows Minaj asking for a pardon.

Those rumours resurfaced after Minaj, the rapper, urged young Americans to 'vote red' on Fox News on Saturday, 26 September. A pardon can ease some or all consequences of a conviction, while a commutation can shorten a prison sentence. For Maraj's New York state convictions, the governor, not the president, can grant either.

The Justice Department's Limit on Presidents

The Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney points to Article II of the Constitution, which lets the president pardon 'Offences against the United States.' That power covers federal crimes and Washington, DC cases brought by federal prosecutors, but it excludes state crimes, the office says. People convicted under state law should ask their governor or a pardons board, as the graphic below shows.

Maraj denied the charges, but said at sentencing he wanted 'to apologize for the pain that I caused.' A Nassau County jury convicted him of predatory sexual assault against a child and endangering the welfare of a child. Judge Robert McDonald imposed the 25-year-to-life sentence on 27 January 2020, Nassau County prosecutors said. New York's Appellate Division rejected Maraj's appeal on 26 June 2024.

How the Governor's Clemency Process Works

New York's constitution gives the governor alone the power to pardon or cut sentences for state crimes. The state's rules call those powers clemency, and a cut sentence a commutation. New York's clemency guidance says a pardon can ease some or all consequences of a conviction, including housing, employment, or licensing difficulties, and the threat of deportation. Hochul has granted clemency 145 times since taking office in 2021, including 20 commutations, her office said on 28 August 2026.

Normally, the Board of Parole can consider Maraj after he serves his 25-year minimum, although state law provides limited exceptions, including medical parole. The governor usually considers cutting a sentence only after a prisoner serves half the minimum term, which for Maraj means 12.5 years. Before deciding, the governor asks the prosecutor and sentencing judge for views. Commutation applicants must provide clear and convincing evidence of exceptional progress and rehabilitation, qualifying medical circumstances, or gross unfairness.

The One Federal Case in Minaj's Family

Minaj's husband, Kenneth Petty, is in a different position. Petty pleaded guilty in a Los Angeles federal court in 2021 to failing to register as a sex offender in California. He received a year of home detention in 2022. Trump could pardon that offence, but not Petty's 1995 New York attempted rape conviction.

On 28 January 2026, Minaj, the rapper, called herself 'probably the president's number one fan' at the US Treasury Department's Trump Accounts Summit. Democratic strategist Mike Nellis accused her on X of flattering Trump to win pardons for her brother and husband. Political consultant Alex Bruesewitz told TMZ on 20 May 2026 that Minaj had never asked Trump for anything in return.