Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, have been indicted on federal fraud charges in South Florida, accused of defrauding businesses out of more than $1 million. The charges, announced on July 19, include five counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, with each count carrying a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison if they are found guilty.
According to the indictment, Kingston, 34, and Turner, 61, allegedly used Kingston’s celebrity status to deceive vendors into providing luxury items such as high-end cars and jewelry without full payment. They are accused of falsely claiming that they had executed bank wire transfers for these purchases, which investigators found to be untrue. The indictment details that between October 2023 and March 2024, they reportedly stole nearly $500,000 in jewelry, over $200,000 from Bank of America, $160,000 from a Cadillac Escalade dealer, and more from other entities.
Both Kingston and Turner made their initial court appearances following the indictment, with Kingston having been arrested in May at an Army training base in California and Turner during a raid at Kingston’s rented mansion in Fort Lauderdale. Kingston is currently on probation for a previous offense related to trafficking stolen property, while Turner has a prior conviction for bank fraud from 2006.
Despite these serious allegations, Kingston’s attorney, Robert Rosenblatt, has expressed confidence in their defense, asserting that there was no organized fraud involved. Kingston alluded to his legal troubles in his recent single “Why Oh Why,” which features NBA YoungBoy, hinting at the challenges he faces. The legal proceedings are ongoing, with their next court appearance scheduled for August 9.