Russian Court Gives WNBA Star, Brittney Griner, 9 Year Prison Sentence

(Source: Russia 24/CNN)

WNBA star Brittney Griner was found guilty of drug possession and drug smuggling by a Russian judge on Thursday.

The conviction came with a nine year prison sentence and she was fined 1 million rubles ($16,590).

Griner offered an apology for her behavior ahead of the sentencing.

"I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of (Yekaterinburg) for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them," she said. "I want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home."

She added: “I made an honest mistake, and I hope in your ruling it does not end my lifeHope in your ruling it does not end my life."

The two-time Olympic champion testified that she inadvertently placed cannabis cartridges into her bag while “stress-packing” for her trip to Russia, where she was contracted to play basketball for a local team during WNBA’s off-season.

“I want the court to understand that this was an honest mistake that I made while rushing, under stress, trying to recover from COVID and just trying to get back to my team,” Griner said.

Hit-and-Run Driver Who Killed Nicki Minaj’s Father Sentenced to a Year in Jail

Screengrab: Nicki Minaj/Instagram

The man responsible for the death of platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated rapper Nicki Minaj's father was sentenced to a year in jail on Wednesday.

Charles Polevich, 72, struck Robert Maraj with his Volvo station wagon while the 64-year-old was walking alongside the road in Mineola, New York, in February of 2021.

According to prosecutors, following the incident, Polevich briefly stopped to ask if Maraj was OK. Instead of alerting authorities or seeking help for Maraj, though, he drove home.

Polevich parked his car in the garage and covered it with a tarp. Maraj was later transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead the following day.

Following her father's death Minaj, who was born Onika Tanya Maraj in Trinidad and raised in Queens, wrote, "It has been the most devastating loss of my life," in a personal message she shared on her website.

 

Charles Polevich, 70, of Mineola. (Courtesy NCPD)

She added, "May his soul rest in paradise. He was very loved & will be very missed."

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of one to three years behind bars for Polevich. Nassau County Judge Howard Sturim decreed he would get “no more than one year in jail" after he pleaded guilty to leaving the scene and tampering with evidence.

Polevich was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and had his driver’s license suspended for six months.

In 2021, Charles Polevich killed Robert Maraj, Nicki Minaj’s father, in a hit-and-run. Today, he was sentenced to only 1 yr in prison after pleading guilty. America's criminal justice system has disappointed another family seeking justice & accountability. https://t.co/uF541SqADJ

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) August 3, 2022

Minaj had yet to comment on the sentencing at press time, but Maraj’s widow, Carol Maraj, who is suing Polevich over the crash, did not mince words. 

According to reporting from Newsday, she said Polevich had left her husband “like a dog on the street” and that sparing him a longer jail sentence was a “slap in the face for the family."

The Battle for Prince's $156.4 Million Estate Comes to an End Six Years After His Death

jimieye  CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It has been over six years since the cremation of Prince following his death at home from an accidental fentanyl overdose at the age of 57.

The question, however, of who would control and benefit from the estate of the legendary singer — who died without a will — was not put to rest until Monday.

A Minnesota judge signed off on a deal that authorizes the division of the $156 million estate evenly between two legal entities.

It will be split evenly between Primary Wave, a well-funded New York music company, and three of Prince's six heirs and their families and advisors.

According to court documents, Prince Oat Holdings LLC — owned by Primary Wave — consists of interests once held by half-siblings Tyka Nelson, Omarr Baker and Alfred Jackson, as well as three separate entities owned by the publishing company.

Prince Legacy LLC's membership consists of Prince's eldest half-siblings, Sharon Nelson, John Nelson and Norrine Nelson, as well as their advisors L. Londell McMillan and Charles Spicer.

The decision was made possible by the parties finally coming to a settlement on the value of the estate, originally appraised at $82.3 million by the estate’s administrator, Comerica Bank & Trust, in January.

Under Minnesota law, the six half-siblings were named his heirs when he died with no living children or spouse to claim his estate.

As part of the agreement, the heirs, and their advisors, along with Primary Wave will split $6 million in cash and potentially many times that in music rights and other valuable intangibles.