The charges against Nicki Minaj‘s husband Kenneth Petty for failing to register as a sex offender in California have been dropped by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office, but only because there is now a federal case against him for similar charges. According to The Blast, a hearing was held in L.A. court on Friday, where prosecutors told the judge that they were dropping the local charges against him.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Marc Jacobs

Kenneth was charged in Beverly Hills back in November after he was pulled over by police and they discovered that he had never registered as a sex offender upon moving to California. Since it is against the law to move states or change addresses without reporting the move to the sex offender registry within an allotted amount of time, he was arrested by the Los Angeles District Attorney and ultimately released on a $20,000 bond.

Gotham/GC Images/Getty Images

While these charges have now been dropped, it’s only because there’s a more pressing case against him. Kenneth was indicted by the Federal Government this week, after still failing to register in California. He turned himself in and was arrested on a $100,000 bond. Now that there’s a federal case against Kenneth, the D.A.’s office decided to drop the charges against him. “The case was dismissed today because he is facing a similar charge in federal court,” a rep for the D.A’s office explained. Kenneth is facing up to 10 years behind bars if convicted on a federal level, but, according to The Blast, his lawyers may be under the belief that he could knock some time off if he manages to convince the judge in federal court that he didn’t explicitly intend to avoid registering after moving to Los Angeles. Upon his recent arrest, he was forced to hand over his passport and will be required to wear an ankle monitor upon his release.

Kenneth is required to register as a sex offender in the first place due to his conviction in 1995 for first-degree attempted rape. He served almost four years in New York federal prison for the crime. Nicki has been ridiculed for her association with him ever since she went public with their relationship, and she’s been on the receiving end of even more criticism since the news broke of his indictment.

While Jennifer Lopez is still battling the Hustlers lawsuit that was brought on by the woman who the film is based on, the “On The Floor” singer has closed another case that involved her sharing an unauthorized image to her Instagram. Back in October, Jennifer posted an image to her feed of her then-boyfriend and now fiance, Alex Rodriguez. 

Ari Perilstein/Getty Images 

Splash News and Picture Agency, who owned the image, sued JLo for $150,000 claiming copyright infringement. “Lopez has over 93 million Instagram followers, and her Instagram account is open to the public,” the company stated in their suit. “But defendant’s unauthorized use harms the existing and future market for the original Photograph.” Splash News and Picture Agency not only wanted $150K but also wanted to set an injunction to stop Jennifer from using images from them in the future. 

The Blast now reports that Splash News and Picture Agency, LLC “voluntarily dismisses with prejudice the entire action as to all claims asserted against all parties.” We can’t confirm if there was a private settlement or if Jennifer responded to the case at all, but Jennifer can now head to her Super Bowl half time show stress-free and ready to showcase all she’s got with Shakira by her side. 

RiFF RAFF has been facing serious allegations over the years. Sexual assault and rape claims have tarnished his name and his career to an extent but he’s continued to deny that any of these allegations are real. One lawsuit filed against him stemmed from an incident in 2014 but it appears that the rapper is finally in the clear.

According to his lawyers who spoke to The Blast, RiFF RAFF has been cleared in the civil sexual assault lawsuit filed against him. He’s maintained his innocence throughout the trial, although there hasn’t been any confirmation as to why the case was tossed. His team did, however, make it clear that he was never arrested or charged for these allegations.

“RIFF RAFF had never been arrested or charged with any such offense by the police. The Plaintiff’s civil suit has now been dropped with prejudice. Having this dark cloud, which has hung over him for the last 5 years, dissipate, RiFF RAFF is ready to take his career to the next level and cement his name as one of the most exciting and innovative entertainers of modern times,” the rep said.

The rapper’s rep also issued a thank you to everyone that stood by him during this time.

“RiFF RAFF and Jody Highroller Entertainment Inc. wishes to thank the combined legal team of Robert Garson of GS2Law, out of New York City, Chris Rusby of Rusby Law and Brent Ryman of Erickson, Thorpe & Swainston, both out of Reno, Nevada. Together, they have demonstrated the unwavering support and determination in making sure that the truth would prevail and reassured RIFF RAFF. Their counsel provided immense assurance during this difficult time,” a statement reads. “Most importantly RIFF RAFF wants to thank his fans for standing by him and your support has been incredibly important and will never be forgotten.”