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The mother of the girl who was reportedly raped by Nicki Minaj's brother has refuted allegations suggesting she encouraged her children to lie as part of a $25 million (£19 million) extortion plot.
Jelani Maraj is currently on trial in New York for sexually assaulting his then-pre-teen stepdaughter on a number of occasions in the months leading up to his December, 2015 arrest. He has denied all charges.
On Monday (23Oct17), the girl's younger brother told the jury at Nassau County Supreme Court he had been slapped and threatened by Maraj after walking in on his stepdad having sex with his sister, who was 11 at the time.
The kids' mum, Maraj's estranged wife Jacqueline Robinson, gave her testimony in court on Wednesday (25Oct17), denying the defence team's claims that she had made up the rape tale in a bid to win a hefty payout from her rapper sister-in-law.
After Maraj's lawyer David Schwartz asked Robinson if she had told her son and daughter to keep up a "concoction of lies", she responded, "No, that's a lie."
She also denied trying to seek a settlement from Maraj's family once the charges had been filed, something her son had allegedly told a case worker prior to the trial's start.
Schwartz had made reference to the case worker's notes in court on Tuesday (24Oct17), when he moved for a mistrial, claiming they showed the boy "was talking about litigation" and "talking about a settlement agreement".
The judge dismissed the mistrial request.
Schwartz maintains Robinson set up her husband just four months after they wed, and planted the DNA evidence police found on her daughter's pants. She filed for divorce last year (16).
The defence argument was given a slight boost on Tuesday after scientist Erika Ziemak testified that the sample taken from the clothing showed a "mixture" of DNA, including one from a male, although she couldn't be sure it came from Maraj.
The trial continues.. musicnews.com
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