Sean Kingston was arrested in California on Thursday, May 23, hours after police raided his Florida home that same day. Read on for the latest on his indictment on federal fraud charges.
Arrests in Florida and California
May 24, 2024: Sean Kingston was arrested in California a day after his Florida home was raided, “Page Six†reports. Police took Kingston, born Kisean Paul Anderson, into custody near Fort Irwin, an army base 150 miles from Los Angeles, before he was booked into a San Bernardino, California, jail, according to Broward County Sheriff’s Office. The “Beautiful Girls†singer had a warrant out for his arrest for multiple fraud and theft charges ahead of the booking. During the Florida raid, police took Kingston’s mother, Janice Turner, into custody over the same charges. “People love negative energy!,†Kingston wrote in an Instagram story following the incident, adding: “my lawyers are handling everything as we speak ðŸ™ðŸ½ðŸ™ðŸ½.†Robert Rosenblatt, an attorney for Kingston and his mother, all but denied the claims. “These are fine people, and I’d be surprised if the allegations were true,†he told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The criminal case reportedly stems from his legal dispute with Ver Ver Entertainment, which sued the late-aughts musician for an unpaid sale and installation of a 232-inch television worth about $150,000, allegedly telling the company that he and Justin Bieber would do social-media advertising if they lowered the down payment and gave him credit, per the Sentinel. An attorney for the company alleged that Kingston’s business dealings amount to “a sales pitch that he goes through to defraud people,†Dennis Card said in a May 23 interview. He claimed the singer convinces people to give him expensive things, amounting to “organized, systemic fraud.â€
Kingston isn’t fighting extradition
May 29, 2024: The Associated Press is reporting that Sean Kingston has waived his right to fight extradition. He will be transported to Florida, where he and his mother are charged with $1 million+ worth of fraud. Kingston did not make a public court appearance, but signed papers Tuesday afternoon.
His mother pleaded guilty of bank fraud in 2007, and served almost 1.5 years in prison, per federal court records. Kingston was also already on probation for trafficking stolen property.
Indictment
July 19, 2024: Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, have both been indicted in Miami court on federal charges of fraud. CNN reports that the pair were both charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud. Kingston and Turner each face up to 20 years in prison per count if convicted, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Kingston and Turner are accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $1 million in property, with their wire fraud schemes allegedly happening between April 11, 2023 and March 29, 2024. They were both released on bond on Friday, and are next scheduled to appear in court on August 9. “We intend to vigorously defend these charges,†Turner’s attorney, James Stark, told CNN. “We hope that everyone keeps in mind that just like every other citizen charged with a crime in our country, they are presumed innocent.†Kingston’s attorney, Robert Rosenblatt, also shared a short statement: “We look forward to litigating this case and defending Sean in federal court.â€
This post has been updated.