Controversial sentence for the driver who fatally ran over Nicki Minaj's father

Devastating news for Nicki Minaj
Seen for sentencing
One year in jail
He fled after the hit
The defense asked for 90 days in jail
How did the accident happen?
The culprit ran
Difficult to track the car
The driver turned himself in, days later
The victim had arrived at the hospital alive
Just become a mother
Dedicated to motherhood
Life goes on, though painfully
Devastating news for Nicki Minaj

In February 2021, rapper Nicki Minaj received the worst news: her father, Robert Maraj, had been fatally run over. The culprit had fled the scene.

Seen for sentencing

A year and a half later, Charles Polevich, responsible for the crash, was prosecuted and pleaded guilty to two crimes: leaving the scene of the accident and altering the physical evidence. The latter he had done when he covered his car with a tarpaulin cloth as soon as he got home.

Photo: Robert Maraj on Instagram, @theofficialcarolmaraj

One year in jail

Despite the seriousness of the charges, Polevich, 72 years old, has been sentenced to just one year in prison, TMZ reports. In addition to this year in prison, he has to pay a 5,000-dollar fine and his drivers license is suspended for six months, as several media report.

He fled after the hit

The accused said he was "devastated when he realized the seriousness of what happened." His lawyer added that the man had a health problem at the time of the accident. It prevented him from being aware of what happened. It's also the reason he fled the area of the hit-and-run, according to his attorney.

"Slap in the face for the Family"

The sentence has been a "slap in the face for the family," according to Carol, the widow of Robert Maraj. According to Newsday, she said in court that the accused had left her husband lying "like a dog in the street."

Photo: Instagram - @theofficialcarolmaraj

The defense asked for 90 days in jail

Prosecutors had asked for one to three years jail time, while Polevich's lawyer requested three months in prison. The defense pointed at other factors in the accident, unrelated to his client, such as poor lighting on the street and the physical condition of Robert Maraj himself.

How did the accident happen?

On Friday, February 12, 2021, Robert Maraj went out for a walk and never came back. He had been hit by a car and died. The press did not report on the fatal accident until 48 hours later.

The culprit ran

The fatal accident took place in the village of Mineola, Long Island, New York. Robert Maraj, 64 years old, was run over by the car of 70-plus-aged Charles Polevich, who immediately fled after the incident.

Difficult to track the car

In the first instance, there were many problems to locate the culprit of the deadly hit. As the sun had already gone down at that time, it became almost impossible to see the details of his vehicle, such as the car model and the license plate, the Nassau County police reported.

The driver turned himself in, days later

Finally, they would manage to identify the 92 Volvo that caused the accident. Meanwhile, days after the hit, Charles Polevich turned himself in.

The victim had arrived at the hospital alive

Despite the seriousness of the accident, Robert Maraj was alive, yet critical, when he got to the hospital. The severity of the injuries ended his life a few hours later.

"The most devastating loss of my life"

Nicki Minaj took a long time to talk publicly about the matter. The relationship between the singer and her 64-year-old father was complicated. Still, she shared on Instagram after a few days that his death was "the most devastating loss of my life."

 

Just become a mother

The most complicated thing about the accident is that it came just four months after the singer had given birth to her first child. The father of the baby was producer Kenneth Perry, whom she had married in November 2019.

Photo: Instagram - @nickiminaj

Dedicated to motherhood

At that time, the singer had temporary retired from music to dedicate herself to motherhood.

"Be a woman outside of the magnifying glass"

"I love music and interacting with fans," she told Billboard magazine, "but I want to be open to other possibilities in my life. I do believe it is important to become a woman outside of the magnifying glass. I have to make sure that I’m well-rounded as a human being," the artist told Billboard magazine.

Life goes on, though painfully

By now, Nicki Minaj has returned to her work. She's happy with the new generation in her family but also has the bittersweet taste of knowing that the man who took her father's life is serving only one year in prison.

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