Lawyer: Nicki Minaj Will Support Brother During Sex Abuse Trial

Nicki Minaj's brother stands accused of some pretty nasty stuff.

Jury selection is about to begin in the trial of Jelani Maraj, who is being charged with predatory sex assault against a child and acting in a manner likely to injure a child under 13 years old. He faces up to life in prison.

Maraj's lawyer claims his client is innocent:

"These are a bunch of lies,” his attorney, David Schwartz, told Newsday. “There’s a big, big motive to lie here which I can’t get into right now. But these are false accusations.”

Minaj has still not commented publically on her brother.

Here's an IG message she sent to Jelani before he was accused of heinous things:

I would cross the ocean for u. I would go & bring u the moon. Promise u. For u I will. I love my brother so much man. Can't believe I cried during his wedding and his first dance like a punk. May God bless him and his union. Tonight has been one of my favorite nights of all time. I do anything to see my brothers smile.

A post shared by Barbie® (@nickiminaj) on Aug 22, 2015 at 8:02pm PDT

[Related: Remy Ma teases Nicki Minaj about pedo brother.]