Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, have been charged with allegedly defrauding businesses of over $1 million.
If found guilty, they could each face up to 20 years in prison.
Accoridng to the Associated Press Sean his 61-year-old mother, made their initial federal court appearances on Friday, according to court documents.
Earlier this month, a Miami grand jury indicted them, alleging they were involved in a scheme to defraud victims of high-end specialty vehicles, jewelry, and other luxury items using fraudulent documents.
Last month, Kingston was booked into the Broward County jail on similar state charges following his arrest on May 23 at Fort Irwin, an Army training base in California’s Mojave Desert, where he was performing.
Turner was apprehended the same day when a SWAT team raided Kingston’s rented mansion in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
According to the federal indictment, Kingston and Turner falsely claimed that they had executed bank wire or other monetary payment transfers for high-end items when no such transfers had taken place.
Investigators said Kingston and Turner then kept over $1 million worth of fraudulently purchased items despite not paying for them.
The warrants for the state charges say that from October to March, they stole almost $500,000 in jewelry, more than $200,000 from Bank of America, $160,000 from a Cadilac Escalade dealer, more than $100,000 from First Republic Bank and $86,000 from the maker of customized beds.
The Jamaican American performer had a No. 1 hit with “Beautiful Girls” in 2007 and collaborated with Justin Bieber on the song “Eenie Meenie.”
Robert Rosenblatt, an attorney for Kingston and his mother, didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment from The Associated Press. He previously said they looked forward to addressing the charges and were “confident of a successful resolution.”
Kingston, whose legal name is Kisean Anderson, was already serving a two-year probation sentence for trafficking stolen property.
His mother pleaded guilty in 2006 to bank fraud for stealing over $160,000 and served nearly 1.5 years in prison, according to federal court records.
if in 2008 you woulda told me sean kingston has a penchant for crime i woulda had you killed https://t.co/T8BapVEdgH
— . (@barryblocke) July 20, 2024
and
Idk I feel like they could’ve let Sean Kingston mama put on a lil wig or something before they took her in????????
— star (@STARestrella_) July 19, 2024
