Kenneth Petty has been granted permission to travel internationally to support his wife Nicki Minaj on her Pink Friday World Tour while on probation for failing to register as a sex offender.
On Tuesday, April 16, United States District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald granted Petty, 46, permission to travel internationally from April 17 to July 14, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.
“[Petty] shall keep his probation officer updated with the details of his travel itinerary as needed. At the conclusion of the travel, [Petty] must return to Los Angeles and must check in with his probation officer upon returning,” the filing states. “Mr. Petty must also provide an itinerary to his probation officer prior to travel and follow all directives of the probation officer.”
Petty’s lawyer, Michael Goldstein, told PEOPLE in a statement: “The order granted by the court speaks for itself.”
Petty requested the exception on Monday, April 15 and said it was to “travel out of the country with his family for his wife’s tour and her professional purposes.”
“[Petty] and [Minaj] believe [Petty] is necessary to accompany the family on the tour for various purposes, including childcare,” the filing reads, adding that the travel schedule would include several countries including Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Austria, Ireland, Switzerland and Romania.
The filing also noted that the Government was notified about the request and took “no position” — and his probation officer had “no objections.”
Minaj, 41, embarked on her Pink Friday World Tour on March 1 in Oakland, Calif.. She is touring in support of her most recent studio album Pink Friday 2. On Wednesday, April 17, the “Starships” singer was slated to perform in Canada in Montreal, Québec.
Petty’s request to travel internationally comes after years of legal trouble. In April 1995, he was convicted of attempted rape in the first degree for an assault the previous year of a then-16-year-old girl.
He served four years in jail for the assault and was listed as a level two registered sex offender in New York.
Then, he was arrested again in March 2020 because he failed to register as a sex offender when he moved from Miami to California. According to records obtained by PEOPLE, he originally pled guilty and posted $100,000 bail. Then, in September 2021, he pled guilty during a virtual hearing and faced up to 10 years of prison.
In July 2022, Petty was sentenced to a year of house arrest and three years of probation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, plus a $55,000 fine.
In January of this year, Petty and Minaj made headlines after fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion allegedly referenced Petty’s status as a level 2 sex offender on her track “Hiss.” (Minaj and Megan have had an alleged falling out since collaborating on “Hot Girl Summer” in 2019.)
Minaj first sparked marriage rumors with Petty in March 2019. Then, in October of that year, she confirmed she was married woman with an Instagram post. “Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty 10*21*19,” she captioned a video of some “bride” and “groom” swag, also revealing she hyphenated her last name.
In September 2020, PEOPLE confirmed they welcomed their first baby together, a boy.
