A jury found singer Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, guilty on all charges Friday in a fraud case involving luxury purchases.
Turner was taken into custody immediately after the verdict. The judge cited her previous criminal record and key role in the scheme, calling her the “operator, fixer, and accountant” behind the operation. As officers led her from the courtroom, she blew a kiss to her daughter, who quietly said, “I love you.”
Kingston, 35, born Kisean Anderson, remains under house arrest while awaiting sentencing. His legal team requested permission for him to travel to Texas for a scheduled performance, but the judge denied it, stating, “He’s not going to Texas.” His attorney cited health issues, including asthma and a heart condition, as reasons for leniency. To secure his release, his sister is providing $200,000, and his aunt is putting up her home as collateral.
Prosecutors labeled Kingston and Turner “masters of deception and fraud.” The jury deliberated for roughly three hours before convicting them on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. Each charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
According to investigators, the two orchestrated a scheme to obtain expensive items—including a luxury SUV, jewelry, designer watches, and a massive television—without payment. In May, law enforcement raided Kingston’s home in Southwest Ranches, Florida, as part of the probe. Authorities presented evidence showing they used fake wire transfer receipts to convince sellers they had sent payments. One of the prosecution’s central pieces of evidence was a text message from Kingston to his mother that read, “I told you to make [a] fake receipt,” followed by, “so it [looks] like the transfer will be there in a couple [of] days.”
During closing arguments, Turner’s lawyer argued that the alleged victims were not truthful. Kingston’s attorney sought to separate his client’s public image from his financial dealings, describing him as someone who “grew up poor when he rose to fame overnight” and had “no idea how to run a business [and] no idea how much money is in his bank account.”
Sentencing is set for Friday, July 11, with Turner’s hearing at 9 a.m. and Kingston’s at 11 a.m. Both also face related state charges.
