Rapper Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, appeared in Florida federal court on Friday after being indicted for wire fraud. The charges stem from a scheme involving over $1 million in luxury items. The indictment, issued on July 11, includes one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud, each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Alleged scheme
Kingston, 34, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, and Turner, 61, allegedly made false claims of executing bank wires and payments for high-end items such as cars and jewelry. This scheme allegedly took place from October to March and involved nearly $500,000 in jewelry, over $200,000 from Bank of America, $100,000 from First Republic Bank, $160,000 from a Cadillac Escalade dealer, and $86,000 from a customized bed maker.
Prosecutors claim Kingston used his celebrity status to convince businesses to release items before receiving full payment. Attorney Dennis Card, who previously sued Kingston over stolen electronics, stated, “He says that he works with Justin Bieber… and he lures people using his celebrity into having them release things without him paying for it and then he simply never pays.”
Previous legal issues
Kingston, already serving probation for trafficking stolen property, was arrested in May while preparing for a performance at Fort Irwin, an Army training base. Turner was arrested the same day during a SWAT raid on Kingston’s rented Fort Lauderdale mansion. She previously served over a year in prison for bank fraud in 2006.
Bond and next court date
Released on cash bonds of $10,000 and $5,000 respectively, Kingston and Turner are set to appear in federal court on August 9. Turner’s attorney stated, “We intend to vigorously defend these charges.”