A federal jury in Florida found rapper Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, guilty of a wire fraud scheme that ran for a year, according to documents accessed online that were filed with the U.S. District Court in Southern Florida.
Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Paul Anderson, and Turner were both found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, court documents say.
Both are scheduled to be sentenced July 11.
Turner was taken into custody and will be held at the Miami Federal Detention Center until sentencing, the court documents say.
Kingston’s bond was modified; he must remain on home detention with electronic monitoring and is ordered to pay $200,000 in cash and secure $500,000 in property as bond, court documents also say.
Prosecutors say Kingston and Turner ran the fraud scheme between April 2023 and March 2024.
Authorities say Kingston used his celebrity status to trick businesses into delivering expensive items like cars, jewelry and electronics before receiving full payment. He and his mother sent fake wire transfer receipts as proof of payment, though no money was sent, court documents say.
Once they had the products, they either cut off contact with the sellers or claimed additional payments were on the way, allowing them to keep the items without paying, court documents say.
The indictment lists several instances where fraudulent text messages with fake payment confirmations were sent to deceive victims.
Authorities arrested Kingston in Fort Irwin, California, in May on a warrant issued by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. The warrant came after a SWAT team raided his home in Southwest Ranches, which is a community in Broward, NBC News reported.
Judge David S. Leibowitz rejected his request to travel for a Texas performance he had already scheduled, but Leibowitz responded, “He’s not going to Texas,” CBS News reported.
His attorney argued against keeping him in jail until sentencing, stating Kingston has a heart condition and asthma, the news outlet reported, adding that his sister is posting the $200,000 and his aunt is offering her home as collateral to guarantee his release.
The charges Kingston and Turner were found guilty each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, court documents say.
Kingston is known for his hits “Beautiful Girls,” “Fire Burning,” “Face Drop,” “Taking You There,” and more.
Stories by Kaylee Remington
Kaylee Remington is a trending news and metro reporter for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. Read her work online.