Sean Kingston (Kisean Paul Anderson) and his mother, Janice Turner, have been found guilty of committing over $1 million in wire fraud. According to federal prosecutors, the “Beautiful Girls” singer and his mother attempted to defraud multiple victims by using fake documents in exchange for luxury cars, jewelry, and other goods. The case, which began with their arrests back in May 2024, came to a a conclusion on Friday, March 28, 2025. With Sean Kingston convicted for fraud, along with his mom, both are facing serious time.
The pair’s fraudulent activities included ordering a 232-inch Colossal TV and a high-end sound system for their home. They falsely promised to create promotional videos featuring Justin Bieber—who was not involved—to lower the product’s price to $111,000. However, they never paid for the items nor fulfilled their promotional obligations.
Additionally, their fraudulent schemes extended to stealing approximately $500,000 in jewelry, over $200,000 from Bank of America, $160,000 from an Escalade dealer, more than $100,000 from First Republic Bank, and $86,000 from a custom bed manufacturer. These activities spanned from October 2023 to March 2024.
This is not the first time Sean Kingston and his mother have been implicated in fraud. Court records indicate that Janice Turner previously served a year and a half in prison after pleading guilty to stealing over $160,000 in a bank fraud scheme in 2006. The duo has faced multiple lawsuits, resulting in over $300,000 in legal settlements.
Kingston’s lawyers argued that he did not know what was taking place and that he was just following his mother’s directions, but the jury was not moved by the argument. Kingston did not testify in the trial, which started on Monday.
His mother however did take the stand. According to NBC6 South Florida, Turner testified that she did send fake wires from her bank account, but only because she was trying to protect her son from scams. She went on to testify that the jewelry and other assets they had acquired over the years were just to help maintain the image that they had become accustomed to. Kingston’s music career really took a hit after her early success. It’s been a while since he was dropping highly anticipated mixtapes with DJ Drama.
Both Kingston and his mother were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. They were both convicted on all counts.
Following their conviction, Kingston’s mother was immediately placed in the custody of U.S. Marshals. She will remain incarcerated at the Miami Federal Detention Center until sentencing. The judge considered her a flight risk partly because of her previous conviction and penchant for committing fraudulent acts.
Kingston, on the other hand, has been placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring. He is required to post a $500,000 bond for his home and an additional $200,000 in cash.
The two now face up to 20 years in prison, the maximum sentence for federal wire fraud charges. Their sentencing hearings are scheduled for July 11, 2025.
