Sean Kingston attends the 40th Anniversary American Music Awards in Los Angeles on November 18, 2012. (AP Photo)
Rapper Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, are facing serious legal trouble in South Florida, where they have been charged with over $1 million in fraud. The indictment, handed down earlier this month, alleges that the pair participated in a scheme to defraud victims by using fake documents to acquire luxury items and high-end goods.
Kingston, 34, and Turner, 61, appeared in federal court on Friday to answer the charges. The indictment accuses them of falsely claiming to have made payments for expensive vehicles, jewelry, and other items, when, in reality, no payments were made. Instead, they allegedly kept over $1 million worth of items without actually paying for them.
The fraud was uncovered after a grand jury investigated their activities. Authorities say that Kingston and Turner used fraudulent documents to trick sellers and financial institutions into believing that transactions had been completed. Despite these claims, they did not follow through with the actual payments.
The indictment follows a series of related arrests. Last month, Kingston was booked into Broward County jail on similar state charges. He had been arrested on May 23 at Fort Irwin, an Army training base in California’s Mojave Desert, where he was performing. Turner was arrested on the same day when a SWAT team raided Kingston’s rented mansion in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
According to the charges, the fraudulent activities took place between October and March. During this period, 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 custom bed manufacturer.
Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, is known for his 2007 hit “Beautiful Girls” and his collaboration with Justin Bieber on “Eenie Meenie.” Despite his musical success, Kingston is currently serving a two-year probation for trafficking stolen property.
Turner’s legal history includes a conviction for bank fraud in 2006, where she was found guilty of stealing over $160,000 and served nearly 1.5 years in prison.
Robert Rosenblatt, the attorney representing Kingston and Turner, has not yet responded to requests for comment from The Associated Press. However, he previously stated that they are looking forward to addressing the charges and are confident they will resolve the matter successfully.
