Rapper Sean Kingston sentenced to three.5 years in jail for $1 million fraud scheme

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Rapper Sean Kingston was sentenced to a few and a half years in jail Friday after being convicted of a $1 million fraud scheme through which he leveraged his fame to dupe sellers into giving him luxurious gadgets that he then by no means paid for.

Kingston, whose authorized title is Kisean Paul Anderson, and his mom, Janice Eleanor Turner, had been every convicted in March by a federal jury of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 4 counts of wire fraud. Turner was sentenced to 5 years in jail final month.

Before U.S. Judge David Leibowitz handed down Kingston’s sentence, the singer apologized to the decide within the South Florida courtroom and mentioned he had realized from his actions. His legal professional requested if he may self-surrender at a later date because of well being points, however the decide ordered him taken into custody instantly. Kingston, who was carrying a black swimsuit and white shirt, eliminated his swimsuit jacket and was handcuffed and led from the courtroom.

Kingston, 35, and his mom had been arrested in May 2024 after a SWAT workforce raided Kingston’s rented mansion in suburban Fort Lauderdale. Turner was taken into custody in the course of the raid, whereas Kingston was arrested at Fort Irwin, an Army coaching base in California’s Mojave Desert, the place he was performing.

According to courtroom data, Kingston used social media from April 2023 to March 2024 to rearrange purchases of high-end merchandise. After negotiating offers, Kingston would invite the sellers to one in all his high-end Florida properties and promise to function them and their merchandise on social media.

Investigators mentioned that when it got here time to pay, Kingston or his mom would textual content the victims faux wire receipts for the posh merchandise, which included a bulletproof Escalade, watches and a 19-foot (5.9-meter) LED TV, investigators mentioned.

When the funds by no means cleared, victims typically contacted Kingston and Turner repeatedly, however had been both by no means paid or acquired cash solely after submitting lawsuits or contacting regulation enforcement.

Kingston, who was born in Florida and raised in Jamaica, shot to fame at age 17 with the 2007 hit “Beautiful Girls,” which laid his lyrics over Ben E. King’s 1961 music “Stand By Me.” His different hits embrace 2007’s “Take You There” and 2009’s “Fire Burning.”