Rapper Sean Kingston and his mother have been found guilty of wire fraud in their $1 million federal trial and are facing several years in prison. As per a report by CBS News, a federal jury on Friday found Sean and his mother, Janice Turner, guilty on all charges in their luxury fraud scheme trial. Also read: Sean Kingston and mother plead not guilty to wire fraud charges in $1 million scheme
Sean Kingston guilty in million-dollar fraud case
Janice was immediately taken into custody after the verdict, with the judge mentioning that her past criminal history and role in the scheme played a key role in the verdict.
The judge described her as the “operator, fixer, and accountant” behind the fraudulent activity. When she was being taken into custody, she blew a kiss to her daughter, who mouthed back, “I love you”.
Meanwhile, Sean, 35, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, was placed on immediate house arrest until sentencing. The judge rejected his request to travel for a scheduled performance in Texas, saying, “He’s not going to Texas.”
Sean’s legal team argued against keeping him in jail until sentencing, citing his heart condition and asthma. Sean’s sister is posting $200,000 to secure his release, and his aunt is offering her home as collateral.
The prosecutors described Sean and his mother as “masters of deception and fraud”. The two were convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud — charges that each carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
More about the fraud case
The prosecutors accused Sean and his mother of making a scheme to obtain high-end items, including a luxury SUV, jewellery, expensive watches and a wall-sized TV, without paying for them.
During the case proceedings, the authorities presented evidence showing the pair used fake wire transfer receipts as proof of payment. A key piece of evidence was a text message from Sean 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”.
Sean was first arrested on May 23, 2024, at Fort Irwin, an Army training base in California’s Mojave Desert, where he was performing. He waived his right to fight extradition and was returned to Florida. Now, sentencing for both will take place on July 11.
Sean is best known for his 2007 hit Beautiful Girls, which topped the Billboard Hot 100. Throughout his career, he released four albums and collaborated with artists including Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj and Chris Brown.
