Sean Kingston and Mother Indicted in Alleged $1M Fraud Scheme

Sean Kingston, known for his hit single "Beautiful Girls," and his mother, Janice Turner, face federal indictments in South Florida.

According to charges filed by a Miami grand jury, 34-year-old Kingston (whose legal name is Kisean Anderson) and 61-year-old Turner misrepresented that they had issued bank wire transfers or other monetary payments to suppliers of high-end items such as luxury vehicles and jewelry. In reality, no such transfers had occurred, allowing them to acquire these goods without payment.

Both appeared in federal court on July 19, with Kingston being released on a $10,000 cash bond and Turner on a $5,000 cash bond. They are set to appear in court again on August 9. Kingston's arrest in Fort Irwin, California in May and Turner's subsequent arrest in Florida during a SWAT raid on Kingston’s mansion re-emphasized these allegations. Their indictment includes five counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, each carrying a potential 20-year prison sentence.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida alleges that Kingston and Turner used fraudulent means to illicitly enrich themselves by obtaining expensive goods and then not paying for them. They’ve similarly been implicated in a series of thefts, including nearly $500,000 in jewelry and over $546,000 from banks and custom goods makers.

Kingston, currently on two-year probation for trafficking stolen property, faces additional civil suits for similar alleged schemes. His notoriety as a singer is said to have aided these fraudulent activities, as mentioned by an attorney representing one of the plaintiffs.

Janice Turner has a past conviction of bank fraud from 2006, for which she served nearly one and a half years in prison. Both Kingston and Turner were previously approached for state charges involving related fraudulent activities earlier this year.

Subsequent collaborations with artists like Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj met with modest success, but Kingston never replicated his early triumph, with his last album being 2022’s *Road to Deliverance*.

Representatives for Kingston and Turner have yet to comment on the recent charges. Their attorney expressed confidence in addressing the allegations successfully.

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