In their trial for a luxury fraud scam, a federal jury on Friday night found musician and rapper Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, guilty of all charges.
Following the verdict, Turner was placed under arrest right away; the judge attributed this to her prior criminal background and her involvement in the plan.
She was the “operator, fixer, and accountant” responsible for the fraud, he said. She blew a kiss to her daughter as she was being led away, and she mouthed back, “I love you.”
Prior to his sentencing, Kingston, 35—real name Kisean Anderson—was put under immediate house arrest.
His desire to fly to Texas for a scheduled performance was denied by the judge, who stated, “He’s not going to Texas.”
Kingston’s asthma and heart issues were used by his lawyer to argue against keeping him incarcerated until sentencing. Kingston’s aunt is offering her house as collateral, and Kingston’s sister is posting $200,000 to get him released.
Kingston and Turner were characterized by the prosecution as “masters of deception and fraud.”
The two were found guilty of four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, each of which carries a potential penalty of 20 years in prison.
It took almost three hours for the jury to render a decision.
The trial evidence and the plan
Kingston and Turner were charged by the prosecution with planning a plot to get expensive goods, such as a wall-sized TV, jewelry, a luxury SUV, and pricey watches, without having to pay for them.
As part of the investigation, the Broward Sheriff’s Office conducted a raid on Kingston’s residence in Southwest Ranches, Florida, in May.
Evidence provided by the authorities demonstrated that the couple utilized fictitious wire transfer receipts as evidence of payment. Kingston texted his mother, saying, “I told you to make [a] fake receipt,” and then, “so it [looks] like the transfer will be there in a couple [of] days.” This text conversation was a crucial piece of evidence.
Turner’s lawyer asserted during closing arguments that the putative victims were “fraudsters” themselves.
The lawyer for Kingston made an effort to keep his client’s public persona and financial situation apart, characterizing him as “a soft guy who grew up poor when he rose to fame overnight,” with “no idea how to run a business [and] no idea how much money is in his bank account.”
On May 23, 2024, Kingston was arrested while playing at Fort Irwin, an Army training station in the Mojave Desert of California. He was sent back to Florida after renouncing his right to resist extradition.
Future sentencing
Turner’s hearing is set for 9 a.m. on Friday, July 11, while Kingston’s is set for 11 a.m.
The two are also facing comparable state accusations in addition to the federal ones.
The 2007 No. 1 hit “Beautiful Girls” catapulted Jamaican American musician Kingston to stardom. He then worked with Justin Bieber on the song “Eenie Meenie.”
visit itrotronews everyday for updates