Rapper Sean Kingston and His Mother Face Arraignment on State Wire Fraud Conspiracy Charges
Rapper Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, went before a Broward County judge on Monday morning (Aug. 26) after being arrested on multiple federal and state charges, including grand theft and wire fraud.
According to the duo’s attorney, Robert Rosenblatt, who spoke with Local 10 News, the 34-year-old star, born Kisean Anderson, and his 61-year-old mother both “entered pleas of not guilty and asked for a jury trial.”
Kingston was already on probation for trafficking stolen goods when a federal grand jury in Miami charged him and his mother with wire fraud in connection to a scheme worth an estimated $1 million.
Federal prosecutors say the pair were indicted because they “unjustly enriched themselves by falsely representing that they had executed bank wire or other monetary payment transfers as payment for vehicles, jewelry, and other goods.” The “Beautiful Girls” singer allegedly submitted fake documents to verify wire transfers falsely and then retained the goods.
The elaborate scheme reportedly involved allegedly acquiring more than $500,000 in jewelry, $200,000 from Bank of America, and $160,000 from a car dealership, with his mother’s alleged involvement. Investigators further suggest that Kingston leveraged his own celebrity status and mentioned other well-known figures to negotiate favorable deals.
Notably, this wasn’t the first time Turner was accused of fraud. She pleaded guilty to bank fraud in 2006 and served a year and a half in prison.
The duo’s next hearing is set for October 11.
