Singer Sean Kingston found guilty in $1,000,000 fraud case and faces 20 years in jail

Sean Kingston in orange shirt stands on stage holding microphone
Sean Kingston has been found guilty of wire fraud(Picture: Johnny Louis/Getty Images)

Singer Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, have been convicted in their $1,000,000 felony wire fraud case.

Sentencing is still to come but the Beautiful Girls hitmaker could face up to two decades in jail after first being arrested in May 2024.

Kingston – real name Kisean Anderson — and his mother were accused of defrauding businesses in a $1million (£774,173) wire fraud scheme.

This involved jewellery, luxury vehicles, and other goods, with his home raided after an investigation was sparked over a 17-foot TV installation.

They were found guilty on all five charges, which included one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud.

Kingston, 35, is on home detention as they await sentencing on July 11, according to TMZ.

This booking photo provided by the Broward County, Fla., Sheriff's Office shows rapper and singer Sean Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson. Kingston is back in South Florida, where he and his mother are charged with committing more than a million dollars worth of fraud. Jail records show 34-year-old Kingston was booked into the Broward County jail on Sunday, June 2, 2024. (Broward County Sheriff's Office via AP)
He could face 20 years in prison per charge (Picture: Broward County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
Sean Kingston mother janice turner arrested
His mother Jaice Turner was also convicted (Picture: Broward County Sheriff’s Office)

In May, attorney Dennis Card accused Kingston of defrauding the Florida company that installed his mammoth TV set.

He told AP: ‘It is amazing what you can get away with if you are a celebrity.
‘He creates this larger than life, “I am rich” persona. His mother is a necessary component in this.

‘He presents himself as a family-oriented guy, “I’m taking care of my mom,” but she knows full well what is going on.’

Ver Ver Entertainment claimed in a lawsuit that Kingston contacted them in September 2023 about buying the huge $150,000 232-inch TV and having it installed.

The attorney continued that there was ‘basically a script’ in which the Eenie Meenie hitmaker uses his connections to Justin Bieber to ‘lure people in’.

Sean Kingston's Southwest Ranches, Fla., home is shown during a raid by the Broward Sheriff's Office on Thursday, May 23, 2024. A SWAT team raided rapper Kingston's rented mansion on Thursday, and arrested his mother on fraud and theft charges that an attorney says stems partly from the installation of a massive TV at the home. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
Their home was raided in 2024 and the pair were arrested (Picture: Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 18: Singer Sean Kingston and mother Janice Turner arrives for the 40th Anniversary American Music Awards - Arrivals held at Nokia Theater L.A. Live on November 18, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/WireImage)
Both will be sentenced on July 11 (Picture: Albert L. Ortega/WireImage)

‘[Kingston] puts on a big show here, this is a rental house, he doesn’t own it, and he lures people using his celebrity into having them release things without him paying for it and then he simply never pays,’ they accused.

Jeweller Moshe Edery testified during the trial, per NBC, claiming Kingston and Turner falsified a wire transfer for a luxury watch.

Kingston reportedly promised to introduce him to other celebrities to help grow his business, with Edery handing over a watch in exchange for $285,000 (£220,252).

The jeweller claimed he was fired from his job and blacklisted from the industry after the payment did not come through.

Each charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, with sentencing for both Turner and Kingston in four months.

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