Sean Kingston Sentenced to Prison in Wire Fraud Case
There has been an update in Sean Kingston’s legal battle.
Five months after the “Beautiful Girls” singer and his mother Janice Turner were found guilty of wire fraud, Kingston (real name Kisean Anderson) was sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison and three years of supervised release on Aug. 15, according to NBC News.
Last month, Turner, 63, was sentenced to five years in federal prison and three years of probation, per the outlet.
The mother and son had each been found guilty on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud in March.
During Kingston’s sentencing, his lawyer Zeljka Bozanic alleged that although the singer is 35-years-old, he still has the mentality of a child, attributing it to a 2011 jet skit accident, which left him severely injured, according to NBC News. Bozanic also noted that most of the businesses had been paid back.
His lawyer added, per the outlet, "I know he’s very sorry for what he’s done.”
Kingston also addressed the court, saying, “I’ve learned from my actions."
However, the prosecution refuted the idea that Kingston’s actions stemmed from his accident, with Marc Anton, a lawyer for the Justice Department, saying in court, per NBC News, "He is a thief through and through.”
Turner and the “Eenie Meenie” singer were accused of scamming over a $1 million worth of items like luxury cars, jewelry and more high-end goods by "falsely representing that they had executed bank wire or other monetary payment transfers," a 2024 press release from the Southern District of Florida's U.S. Attorney's Office stated.
According to Kingston's 2024 indictment, obtained by NBC News, Kingston and his mother were accused of using his celebrity to trick businesses into delivering their items prior to being paid. Payments were then made using fraudulent or worthless wire transfers. The scheme allegedly went on until March 2024.
The “Fire Burning” singer was originally arrested in California on May 23, 2024, just hours after Turner had been taken into police custody following a raid on Kingston’s Florida rental home.
At the time, he waived his right to fight extradition and was taken to Florida where the two posted bail and pled not guilty to the charges.
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
eonline
