Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, have been found guilty of fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud following a trial in Broward County, Florida.
The 35-year-old singer, legally known as Kisean Anderson, has been placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring. His mother, Janice, was taken into custody. Additionally, Kingston must secure a bond with his home valued at $500,000 and $200,000 in cash, according to reports. Sentencing for both is set for July 11.
The trial started on March 24 and concluded with closing arguments on March 28. The jury took about three and a half hours to reach a verdict. Kingston and Turner were found guilty of defrauding multiple businesses, such as jewelers, a television installment provider, and a luxury car dealership, accumulating over $1 million in fraudulent items.
The judge deemed Turner a flight risk, partly due to her testimony during the trial. In a video broadcasted by a local outlet, Kingston can be heard requesting U.S. Marshals to "protect my mother" as he was led out of the courthouse.
During the proceedings, jeweler Moshe Edery testified about losing his credibility after a $285,000 transfer from Kingston failed. "I’m being scammed," he said while on the witness stand.
The duo was arrested in May 2024 and faced charges that included conspiracy to commit wire fraud and multiple counts of wire fraud. Reports indicate that Turner would often manage deliveries and wire transfers, only to send fraudulent transactions instead, and that this scheme had been ongoing for several years.
The defense claimed that the prosecution failed to provide evidence of Kingston and Turner’s intent to commit fraud, pointing out that some alleged victims had received their money and merchandise back.
Sean Kingston, who gained popularity with his 2007 hit "Beautiful Girls," has had a successful music career that continued into the 2010s, highlighted by a collaboration with Justin Bieber and an appearance on the Disney Channel show Suite Life on Deck.
