Nicki Minaj’s husband has pleaded not guilty to failing to register as a sex offender, prosecutors in California have said.
Kenneth Petty, who married the rap superstar last year, handed himself in to US Marshals in Los Angeles on Wednesday, according to officials.
He is alleged to have failed to register as a sex offender after moving to California from New York. Petty was convicted of attempted rape in 1995.
The US Attorney’s Los Angeles office said Petty appeared in court shortly after handing himself in and pleaded not guilty to one count.
Update: This afternoon, Kenneth Petty pleaded not guilty to the single count in the indictment. An April 28 trial date was set before U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald in Los Angeles. Mr. Petty was ordered released on $100,000 bond.
— US Attorney L.A. (@USAO_LosAngeles) March 5, 2020
He was released on a 100,000 US dollar bond (£77,700), officials said, with a trial set for April 28.
Sex offenders are required to register by the Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
Offenders are “required to update their registration in each jurisdiction they reside, are employed, or attend school,” the act says.
Failure to register is considered a federal crime. Petty, reportedly a childhood friend of Minaj, 37, began dating the US star in late 2018.
Their relationship proved controversial due to his criminal past. Minaj announced they were married in October last year.
