FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Rapper and singer Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, have been charged with orchestrating a fraud scheme involving over a million dollars, according to documents released Friday.
Kingston, 34, and Turner, 61, face charges of conducting an organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, identity theft, and related crimes, as detailed in arrest warrants issued by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
The arrests took place on Thursday after a SWAT team raided Kingston’s rented mansion in suburban Fort Lauderdale, apprehending Turner. Kingston was arrested separately at Fort Irwin, an Army training base in California’s Mojave Desert, where he was performing.
Kingston, known for his 2007 No. 1 hit “Beautiful Girls” and his collaboration with Justin Bieber on “Eenie Meenie,” is currently held in a California jail, awaiting extradition to Florida.
Robert Rosenblatt, the attorney representing both Kingston and his mother, stated on Friday that Kingston would voluntarily return to Florida if permitted, which would save the state the costs associated with extradition.
The charges stem from alleged activities between October and March, during which Kingston and Turner are accused of stealing nearly $500,000 in jewelry, more than $200,000 from Bank of America, $160,000 from a Cadillac Escalade dealer, over $100,000 from First Republic Bank, and $86,000 from a customized bed manufacturer, among other amounts.
Kingston, whose legal name is Kisean Anderson, was already serving a two-year probation sentence for trafficking stolen property. Further details about that conviction were not available.
Turner, according to federal court records, pleaded guilty to bank fraud in 2006 for stealing over $160,000 and served nearly 1.5 years in prison.
The duo has faced legal troubles before. In 2015, a customized watch seller successfully sued Kingston and his mother in a New York City federal court for $356,000. In 2018, a New York jeweler won a lawsuit for $301,000 against them for scamming the store out of nine items.
More recently, in February, a Florida entertainment systems company sued Kingston, alleging he failed to pay $120,000 of a $150,000 bill for a 232-inch television installed in his home. The TV, which is approximately 17 feet by 9.5 feet, covers an entire wall. The lawsuit claims Kingston falsely promised that he and Bieber would make commercials for the company in exchange for a low down payment and credit, which never materialized.
Rosenblatt expressed confidence in a favorable resolution for Kingston and Turner, stating, “We look forward to addressing these charges in court.”
Turner is currently held at the Broward County jail on a $160,000 bond. – AP
