Long Island driver who fatally struck Nicki Minaj's father sentenced

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The man who struck and killed Nicki Minaj's father last February has been sentenced to a year in jail - despite protests from the famed rapper's mother. 

Charles Polevich, 72, pleaded guilty to leaving the scene and tampering with evidence. He was also ordered to pay a fine to the tune of $5,000, in addition to having his driver's license suspended for six months.

But Robert Maraj's widow Carol, Minaj's mom, accused Polevich of leaving Robert "like a dog on the street" and slammed the decision to give him a short jail sentence.

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"One year? That’s a slap in the face for the family," Maraj told the judge after the sentence was handed down. Polevich is being sued by Maraj over the accident.

Robert Maraj, a Long Island resident, was walking on Mineola street in February 2021 when he was struck by Polevich's vehicle.

The 64-year-old father of rapper Nicki Minaj died after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in New York, a loss Minaj called "devastating." (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, FIle)

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Polevich stopped to see if 64-year-old Maraj was injured. But instead of calling for help, Polevich went home and covered his vehicle with a tarp - a move that prosecutors determined was tampering with evidence.

Polevich showed remorse for his actions in court, saying that he's been "heartsick since realizing the extent of the tragedy." While Polevich's lawyer suggested that he wasn't entirely aware of what had happened at the crash due to an unknown medical issue, Polevich affirmed that there was "no excuse" for his actions.

Nicki Minaj attends The 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 06, 2019 in New York City.  (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

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The accident was traumatic to Minaj, who called the accident "the most devastating loss of my life'.

Nicki Minaj attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City.  (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

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"I find myself wanting to call him all the time. More so now that he's gone," the "Anaconda" rapper wrote on her website at the time."May his soul rest in paradise. He was very loved & will be very missed,"