Man Who Killed Nicki Minaj's Dad In Hit And Run Will Get Less Than A Year Behind Bars

The man who killed Nicki Minaj’s father in a hit-and-run crash will spend just months behind bars.

Businessman Charles Polevich, 71, admitted leaving the scene of the February 2021 crash in question in court on Friday in Long Island’s Nassau County, the Associated Press reports. He pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence by concealing the car.

Polevich admitted to initially getting out of his car after fatally hitting pedestrian Robert Maraj, 64. However, he drove off and didn't dial 911. Investigators say he then stashed his car away in a garage and put a tarp over it. 

Maraj died at a hospital the day after the collision.

Judge Howard Sturim stated Friday that Polevich would get “no more than one year in jail,” according to the Associated Press. He will also be hit with community service and a suspended license. 

Polevich is expected to be sentenced on Aug. 3.

The victim’s widow, Carol Maraj, told reporters she was “not happy” with the expected sentence, according to the Associated Press. 

Last year, she filed a $150 million lawsuit against Polevich, claiming he was negligent, reckless and careless, Newsday reported.

Prosecutors are also not pleased with the planned sentence. 

“Given the severity of the defendant’s conduct, we disagree with the sentencing commitment from the court,” Nassau County District Attorney’s office spokesperson Brendan Brosh said in a statement to the Associated Press. Brosh had been fighting for Polevich to receive between one and three years.

Polevich’s lawyer Marc Gann called the hit-and-run “completely out of character” for his client, who runs a drilling and water purification business in Guam.

“He does feel tremendous empathy for Mr. Maraj’s family and tremendous remorse for any role he played in his death,” Gann told the Associated Press, suggesting his client may have been suffering a medical condition.