The man who fatally struck Nicki Minaj’s father in a hit-and-run car accident in February 2021 has been sentenced by the judge.
Judge Howard Sturim ordered driver Charles Polevich, 71, to spend one year in prison on two felony convictions: leaving the scene of an incident without reporting and tampering with physical evidence.
The fact that Polevich plead guilty probably contributed to the light sentence that includes a $5,000 fine and a six-month suspension on his driver’s license. He faced up to seven years in prison if he had gone to trial.
Minaj’s father, Robert Maraj, was killed at age 64 when he was struck in a hit-and-run accident while he was walking in Long Island, a suburb of New York. Robert Maraj was rushed to a hospital in critical condition where he, unfortunately, succumbed to his injuries.
Polevich fled the scene and tried to hide the car in a detached garage at his home. However, authorities quickly tracked the driver down from his license plate and placed him under arrest.
Minaj, who was born Onika Tanya Maraj in Trinidad and Tobago 39 years ago, addressed the tragedy on her website:
“I can say it has been the most devastating loss of my life.”
