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A woman whom Nicki Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty was convicted of attempting to sexually assault when she and Petty were 16 years old spoke out publicly for the first time on Wednesday.
Jennifer Hough opened up on "The Real" about the harassment lawsuit she recently filed against the couple and the 1994 incident in which she told police at the time that Petty pulled a knife on her and forced her into a residence where he allegedly raped her.
Petty pleaded guilty and was convicted in 1995 of attempted first-degree rape. According to the NYPD Sex Offender Unit database, the offense was filed as "sexual intercourse" and noted that a "knife/cutting instrument (e.g., ax, ice pick, screwdriver, switchblade, Kung Fu stars, cane sword, etc.)" was used in the crime.
Petty served four years in New York State Prison for the incident before he was released, TMZ reported in 2018.
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In August, Hough filed a lawsuit against Petty and Minaj, whose real name is Onika Tanya Maraj, claiming in the complaint that she has endured years of harassment from the couple to silence her.
"I’m tired of being afraid," Hough said during an appearance on "The Real." "The only way to not be afraid is to continue to speak up."
"I don’t know why it didn’t dawn on me to, like, really fight," Hough told the hosts with tears in her eyes. "I just held on to my pants, and he’d hold my arms down. He squeezed the sides of my stomach so hard, and so I’d let go, and as soon as I let go, he’d grab my pants."
"We were never in a relationship," Hough added. "We never talked on the phone. We never hung out together. I just knew him from the neighborhood."
During the sit-down, Hough also recalled a moment when Minaj allegedly reached out to her personally in March 2020.
"She called me, and she said that she got word that I was willing to help them out in a situation," Hough alleged. "I didn't understand what she was referring to. She offered to fly me and my family to LA. I turned it down. And I told her, woman to woman, this really happened. And I hadn't spoken to her since."
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Nicki Minaj's husband, Kenneth Petty, right, was convicted in 1995 for the attempted first-degree rape of a 16-year-old girl, following a 1994 incident when he was 16. (Getty)
Petty was also convicted of first-degree manslaughter and served another seven years for shooting a man, according to TMZ. He reportedly was released in 2013.
Minaj and Petty share a son, who turns one year old this month.
A representative for Minaj did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
If you or someone you know is suffering from abuse, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
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