American singer Sean Kingston, mother face 20 years in prison over $1m fraud scheme

Singer Sean Kingston and his mother are facing decades in prison after they were charged by a grand jury in a $1 million fraud scheme in South Florida.

The 34-year-old Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, and his mother, 61-year-old Janice Turner, made their first appearance in federal court after a grand jury formally charged with with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida said Friday.

If convicted, they both face up to 20 years in prison on each of the six counts they face, prosecutors said.

Kingston had been arrested in California back in May, the same day Turner was arrested during a raid on the Southwest Ranches mansion where the singer lives.

Arrest warrants said that from October 2023 to March of this year, Kingston, Turner and others defrauded multiple businesses, including a jeweler, a luxury furniture maker, a high-end auto dealer and a company that specializes in TV and entertainment systems.

Prosecutors said they purchased the items using fraudulent documents including bank wires and payment transfers, then kept or tried to keep the items despite not paying.

In one instance, Kingston allegedly fraudulently obtained a bed valued at more than $86,000 from a company named Maree, whose website said it "designs and creates the world's largest luxury beds."

In another, a Cadillac Escalade valued at $159,701.49 was fraudulently obtained from an exotic car dealership, the warrants said.

Also fraudulently obtained was jewelry valued at $480,000, the warrants said.

The total value of the items obtained exceeded $1 million, prosecutors said.

After their arrests, Robert Rosenblatt, an attorney representing the rapper and his mother, said, “Sean and Janice deny their guilt and we look forward to trying this case before a jury in Broward County."

Kingston had some major hits including his 2007 debut single "Beautiful Girls." He's previously collaborated with Justin Bieber and Soulja Boy.