Nicki Minaj's husband, Kenneth Petty may walk away a free man despite committing a major crime.
The music industry professional failed to register as a sex offender in California following a 1995 conviction for first-degree attempted rape.
He faces a maximum of 10 years sentence in federal prison, a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine or twice the gross loss which resulted from the offense.
The hearing is scheduled for Jan. 24, 2022, and if he did receive the minimum penalty, he would only face a small fine.
Nicki Minaj's husband could face five years of supervised release and may only be fined $100 for the court assessment fee.
A California criminal lawyer recently spoke to Hollywood Life about what Petty will be facing after pleading guilty to failing to register.
Eric D. Anderson said, "I rarely try to guess what a judge will give unless I'm fully familiar with the judge and the case."
"That said, IF he gets any time, I would expect a sentence closer to the minimum than the maximum."
The legal expert also explained that Petty and his team might argue to get him only the minimum sentence allowed.
"You can expect the defense to argue, as they should, that his violation, while problematic, was not harmful to anybody."
Despite failing to register, Anderson said everybody now knows where Kenneth Petty is, and it's not like the authorities wouldn't know where to find him.
Being the husband of a famous musician and being a renowned person, himself would also help the authorities because they would always know where he is.
"And as far as celebrities go, he's not a big star but he's certainly more famous than you or I are. And, of course, he's married to one of the most famous music artists on the planet."
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Kenneth Petty was convicted in 1995 after attempting to rape a 16-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 18 to 54 months in jail but spent four years there.
Anderson explained, "The idea of supervised probation for five years? I could see him getting that, but I could also see him being on a short leash because of that."
"I can see the Court requiring numerous conditions on him and should he violate any probation terms, being inclined to send him to prison rather quickly for any violations."
He is a level-two registered sex offender in California, which means he is considered a moderate risk of repeating the offense.
In Mar. 2020, Kenneth Petty was arrested after being indicted for not registering as a sex offender. During that time, he pleaded not guilty and posted bail for $100,000.
