The driver who “simply walked away” after fatally striking rapper Nicki Minaj’s father while he was walking in Mineola was arraigned Friday on felony charges that could put him in prison for up to seven years if convicted, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office said.
Charles Polevich, 71, of Mineola, was indicted on Nov. 16 for leaving the scene of an accident without reporting and tampering with physical evidence, Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce A. Smith said in a statement.
The defendant’s attorney was not immediately available to comment.
On Feb. 12, Robert Maraj, 64, of Baldwin, was walking along Roslyn Road when Polevich, driving a 1992 white Volvo station wagon, crashed into him where that road meets Raff Avenue, officials said.
“After seeing Robert Maraj severely injured on the ground, this defendant allegedly committed a most heinous act – he simply walked away,” said the acting district attorney. “Rather than aid the man he struck, the defendant allegedly drove home and hid his vehicle, while Maraj died from his injuries.”
Maraj was pronounced at the hospital on Feb. 13 after emergency surgery. Polevich surrendered to the NCPD Homicide Squad on Feb. 17.
One month later, Carol Maraj, the mother of Nicki Minaj, filed a $150 million lawsuit against the defendant, an attorney for Maraj said.
Polevich is due back in court on Jan. 21, 2022
