Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, were found guilty in a $1 million fraud trial.
A jury found Kingston, 35, and Turner, 62, guilty on all counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud on Friday, March 28, according to NBC Miami. Turner was immediately remanded to federal custody until sentencing, while the singer is set to be confined to house arrest during that period. Kingston must also post a surety bond of a home valued at $500,000 and $200,000 in cash.
According to the NBC affiliate, Kingston and Turner are each scheduled to be sentenced on Friday, July 11. (The charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.)
Kingston and his mom were arrested in May 2024 after being accused of defrauding multiple businesses. During the trial earlier this week, Turner admitted to sending fake wires from her bank account to pay other individuals. She claimed it was a way to protect Kingston from being taken advantage of, as he allegedly had been in the past.
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Kingston, meanwhile, declined to testify on his behalf. He was previously open about his presumed innocence.
“People love negative energy! I am good and so is my mother!” Kingston wrote via Instagram in May 2024. “My lawyers are handling everything as we speak.”
Kingston’s attorney later revealed in a statement that Kingston was “aware” of the allegations.
“We look forward to addressing these in court and are confident of a successful resolution for Shawn and his mother,” the lawyer stressed that May.
Kingston and Turner were released from police custody on $10,000 and $5,000 bonds, respectively, in July 2024. Later that month, they were indicted by a federal grand jury on five counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Florida, Kingston and Turner allegedly “unjustly enriched themselves by falsely representing that they had executed bank wire or other monetary payment transfers.”
Prosecutors claimed that the pair used fraudulent documents to pressure dealers of luxury vehicles, jewelry and other high-end items to hand over goods before they had received a full payment. Neither Kingston nor Turner immediately addressed the accusations.
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Kingston rose to fame in 2007 with hit singles “Beautiful Girls,” Take You There” and “Fire Burning.” Around the same time, he collaborated with Justin Bieber on “Eenie Meenie.”
“After a few years of producing for other artists, I’m inspired to record my own music again,” Kingston previously told Us Weekly in 2022. “It’s been incredible having these sold-out shows. The road is tough, but [seeing] so many fans having a good time and singing along to my music, it’s a blessing.”
