A petition aimed at Nicki Minaj and her husband, Kenneth Petty, is demanding the rapper leave their Hidden Hills estate. The uproar stems from security concerns related to the latter’s status as a sex offender.
Becoming neighbors with celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Will and Jada Smith, and more, the couple purchased the $19.5 million mansion in December 2022. The acquisition subsequently provoked fellow resident Beverly Bardan to initiate a Change.org petition titled, “SAY NO TO SEX OFFENDERS IN HIDDEN HILLS.” As reported by TMZ, Bardan’s appeal argues that Petty’s presence could lower the property values in the community and pose a potential threat to safety, especially for children and women.
At the age of 16, Petty was convicted of first-degree attempted rape of a minor and later served prison time for manslaughter in 2006. Currently, he’s carrying out a one-year house arrest sentence for failing to register as a sex offender in California, a mandatory legal requirement.
Besides the protection risks, Bardan stated, “The Petty couple moving in would lead to the appraisal value of our homes to go DOWN due to safety concerns.”
After doing more than four years in prison, Petty’s release conditions mandate him to register as a sex offender in his place of residence. However, his arrest in March 2020 by the U.S. Marshals for failing to register in California resulted in a three-year probation sentence, one year of house arrest, and a $55,000 fine.
His house arrest was initially imposed at the couple’s extravagant Calabasas property. The federal prosecutors, however, expressed dissatisfaction with this arrangement, arguing that the luxurious gated community equipped with a pool, cutting-edge music studio, and opulent backyard hardly qualifies as a punitive measure. They proposed a more stringent penalty, including 15 months of prison time, five years of supervised release, and another fine.
In other Minaj-related news, the Queens, New York rapper was recently the victim of a swatting incident where false reports of child abuse and a house fire at her residence were filed. Minaj has since hired legal representatives to hold those behind the swatting accountable.