Rapper Sean Kingston and Mother Charged in $1 Million Fraud Scheme

In relation to a $1 million fraud conspiracy, rapper Sean Kingston and his mother Janice Turner have been charged on federal offenses. A Miami grand jury returned an indictment against the couple alleging they used false documentation to purchase jewels and cars for opulent amounts without having to make proper payments.

Both made an appearance in a federal court in Florida, where they were charged with several counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to conduct wire fraud, each of which carries a potential sentence of 20 years in prison.

The charges describe a system in which Turner and Kingston, whose true name is Kisean Anderson, purported to have carried out bank transactions for expensive products, although this was untrue.

Investigators said that while they were scamming several financial institutions and merchants, they kept over $1 million worth of goods, including about $500,000 in jewels.

While Turner, 61, had a past conviction for bank fraud from 2006 for which she did time in jail, Kingston, 34, was already on probation for trafficking stolen items when these new allegations surfaced.

Both of their arrests were noteworthy; Turner was apprehended during a SWAT raid at Kingston’s rented Fort Lauderdale estate, while Kingston was placed under arrest at an Army training camp in California.

Following their court appearance, Turner was given a $5,000 bail and Kingston was freed on a $10,000 cash bond. They intend to strenuously dispute the accusations at their next hearing, which is set for August 9.

The case raises questions about the fraudulent use of celebrity status, since Kingston is accused of leveraging his notoriety to pressure companies into delivering products without payment.