Sean Kingston, the rapper whose real name is Kisean Anderson, and his mother, Janice Turner, were convicted on all charges in a federal wire fraud trial in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The duo was accused of defrauding multiple businesses, including a jewelry company, a luxury bed manufacturer, a used luxury and exotic car dealership, and a luxury microLED TV company. Following a 3½-hour deliberation, a jury delivered the guilty verdicts.
As a result, Kingston, 34, was placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring and required to post a surety bond of a home valued at $500,000 along with $200,000 in cash. Meanwhile, Turner, 61, was taken into federal custody and is set to remain there until sentencing. Both are scheduled to be sentenced on July 11.
During the reading of the verdicts, Kingston and his mother were visibly emotional. Kingston had been arrested in Fort Irwin, California, in connection with the case after a SWAT team raided his home in Southwest Ranches, Broward County. The federal grand jury had indicted the pair in July 2024, alleging that Kingston had used his celebrity status and social media presence to deceive luxury goods sellers into delivering items before receiving payment. Turner, according to the indictment, played a role in ensuring the items were delivered while payment was made through fraudulent wire transfers.
Despite pleading not guilty, the pair were found guilty on all counts. Turner’s defense attorney argued that she was merely trying to protect her son from individuals seeking to take advantage of his money. Kingston initially expressed a desire to testify but ultimately chose not to.
Judge David S. Leibowitz allowed Kingston to remain out of jail until sentencing due to his decision not to testify, while Turner was remanded into federal custody in part because of what the judge deemed obstruction during her testimony. The judge cited Turner’s actions as evidence of her willingness to do anything for her son. As Turner was taken into custody, Kingston hugged her, expressing gratitude to the judge for his fairness.
Kingston, a Jamaican-born artist, gained fame at the age of 17 with his hit song “Beautiful Girls.” The single, which combined singsong rapping with a sample from “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King, topped the Billboard charts for four weeks in 2007. Kingston did not address the media as he left court in a Lamborghini Urus SUV.
Reporting by Charlie Gile from Fort Lauderdale and Dennis Romero from San Diego.
