Sean Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, and his mother, Janice Turner, are facing serious legal troubles as they have been indicted on charges of wire fraud. The duo made their initial court appearances in Miami federal court on Friday, accused of orchestrating a $1 million wire fraud scheme.
Both Kingston and Turner have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud. The charges allege that they defrauded sellers of high-end specialty vehicles, jewelry, and other luxury goods by using fraudulent documents. If found guilty, each of them could face up to 20 years in prison for each count.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida stated in the indictment that Kingston and Turner “unjustly enriched themselves by falsely representing that they had executed bank wire or other monetary payment transfers.” These payments, however, never went through, allowing the defendants to obtain $1 million worth of property without actually paying for it.
Kingston’s representatives have yet to comment on these allegations.
This legal trouble follows Kingston’s arrest in California nearly two months ago, which occurred several hours after a SWAT team raided his rented mansion in Southwest Ranches, Florida. According to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, the “Beautiful Girls” singer was taken into custody on a Florida warrant that included multiple fraud and theft charges. Turner was also arrested on the same day.
The company suing Kingston, Ver Ver Entertainment, alleges that in September, the rapper expressed interest in purchasing an entertainment system. Ver Ver Entertainment claims Kingston proposed a lesser payment and a line of credit with the company in return for arranging Justin Bieber to star in their commercials. Kingston and Bieber had previously collaborated on the hit songs “Eenie Meenie” in 2010 and “Won’t Stop” in 2011.
In response to the allegations, Robert Rosenblatt, an attorney representing Kingston and Turner, told the Associated Press in an email, “We are aware of some of the allegations being made against both of them.” He added, “We look forward to addressing these in court and are confident of a successful resolution for Sean and his mother.”
Further insights were provided by someone close to the case, identified as Card, who spoke to NBC 6. Card explained, “He’s got basically a script. He says that he works with Justin Bieber, and that he obviously puts on a big show here. This is a rental house, he doesn’t own it, and he lures people using his celebrity into having them release things without him paying for it and then he simply never pays.” Card added, “He likes having bling, he likes showing off, he’s a showman. This is an organized systematic fraud.”
The lawsuit further claims that Kingston made an initial payment of $30,000 to Ver Ver Entertainment in November but failed to fulfill his commercial promises or make additional payments.
As the case unfolds, Kingston and his mother are set to defend themselves against these serious accusations in court, with both facing potentially long prison sentences if convicted.
