Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, have been found guilty of wire fraud in Florida.
The 35-year-old “Beautiful Girls” singer, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, and his 62-year-old mother were convicted on all five charges they faced after being arrested in May 2024.
They were found to have used fraudulent documents to obtain over a million dollars worth of luxury cars, jewelry and other items from car dealerships, banks and a mattress company.
According to Local 10 news, Kingston cried as Turner was taken away by US Marshals and told them: “Protect my mother.”
During the trial, Turner was accused by the judge of being the “fixer and nerve center” in charge of the fraudulent scheme. She has been convicted of similar crimes in the past, and in 2006 served a year and a half in prison after pleading guilty to stealing over $160,000 via bank fraud.
Meanwhile, Kingston’s own defense team described him as a “child” who did not understand finances and would spend money with no regard for the consequences.
The pair’s arrests last May came about after a company named Ver Ver Entertainment LLC brought a civil lawsuit against Kingston that February, seeking damages for breach of contract and fraud.
They alleged at the time that Kingston had purchased a 232-inch Colossal TV and sound system for his home, but failed to pay the $111,000 cost.
Seeking to get out of paying full price, the suit said Kingston had promised to make promotional videos about the company and their products with his friend, Justin Bieber. No commercials were ever made, and Bieber was not involved at any time.
An investigation into the case led authorities to a string of similar crimes. The pair were eventually accused of stealing almost $500,000 in jewelry, more than $200,000 from Bank of America, $160,000 from a car dealer who sold them a bulletproof Cadillac Escalade, more than $100,000 from First Republic Bank and $86,000 from a luxury bed company. All those crimes were alleged to have taken place between October 2023 and March 2024.
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Prosecutors said Kingston and Turner, also known as “Mama Kingston”, “unjustly enriched themselves” by telling companies they had sent out wire transfers when no such payments existed.
Kingston was immediately placed on home detention, but has to meet bond requirements by Thursday, including a $200,000 surety bond in case, plus putting up a relative’s $500,000 house.
The pair now face up to 20 years in prison, which is the maximum for federal wire fraud cases. Their sentencing hearings have been set for July 11.
