Rapper Sean Kingston received a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence on Friday after being found guilty of a $1 million fraud scheme in South Florida.
Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Paul Anderson, and his mother, Janice Eleanor Turner, were both found guilty by a federal jury in March for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. Last month, Turner was sentenced to five years in prison.
Before U.S. Judge David Leibowitz delivered Kingston’s sentence, the singer apologized to the judge and expressed that he had learned from his actions.
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Kingston’s attorney requested a delay for self-surrender due to health concerns, but the judge ruled for immediate custody. Dressed in a black suit and white shirt, Kingston removed his jacket before being handcuffed and escorted out of the courtroom.
Kingston, 35, and his mother were arrested in May 2024 after a SWAT team raided Kingston’s rented mansion in suburban Fort Lauderdale.
Turner was taken into custody during the raid, while Kingston was arrested at Fort Irwin, an Army training base in California’s Mojave Desert, where he was performing.
According to court records, Kingston used social media from April 2023 to March 2024 to arrange purchases of high-end merchandise.
After closing deals, Kingston would bring the sellers to one of his luxurious Florida homes, assuring them that he would showcase their products and profiles on social media.
Investigators said that when it came time to pay, Kingston or his mother would text the victims fake wire receipts for the luxury merchandise, which included a bulletproof Escalade, watches, and a 19-foot (5.9-meter) LED TV, investigators said.
When the funds never cleared, victims often contacted Kingston and Turner repeatedly, but were either never paid or received money only after filing lawsuits or contacting law enforcement.
Kingston, born in Florida and raised in Jamaica, rose to fame at 17 with his 2007 hit “Beautiful Girls,” which featured lyrics set to Ben E. King’s 1961 classic “Stand By Me.” His other popular songs include 2007’s “Take You There” and 2009’s “Fire Burning.”
Last Updated on August 16, 2025 by Samuel Kwame Boadu
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Samuel Kwame Boadu is a Ghanaian media entrepreneur and storyteller with a passion for amplifying urban voices and uncovering everyday truths. He is the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Accra Street Journal, a dynamic digital platform dedicated to capturing the pulse of Ghana’s capital—its people, culture, challenges, business, sports and innovations.
