Sean Kingston, the well-known singer of “Beautiful Girls,” and his mother, Janice Turner, have been found guilty of fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a federal trial.
The singer, 35, whose legal name is Kisean Anderson, was placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring, while Turner was taken into custody. The singer must additionally post a surety bond of a home valued at $500,000 and $200,000 in cash, per NBC6 South Florida. Their sentencing is scheduled for July 11.
The trial began on Monday, March 24, and concluded with closing arguments on Friday, March 28. The jury reached their decision after three and a half hours of deliberation, per NBC6.
Kingston, who did not testify during the trial, and his mother were convicted of defrauding several businesses, including multiple jewelers, a television installment company and a high-end car dealership. The total sum of items the pair obtained exceeded $1 million, prosecutors said.
The judge decided Turner was a flight risk, partly because she did testify, per Local10. In footage the outlet published, Kingston can be heard telling U.S. Marshall agents to “protect my mother” as he was escorted from the courthouse.
During the trial, Fort Lauderdale jeweler Moshe Edery testified that he lost his credibility after a failed $285,000 transfer from Kingston, NBC6 reported on Thursday, March 27.
“I’m being scammed,” Edery recounted on the stand.
The pair were arrested in May 2024 and made their first court appearance in July. They were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud. Turner would often ensure deliveries and wire transfers, only to send fraudulent transfers instead, according to the indictment. The scheme went on for several years.
During the trial, the defense argued that the prosecution didn’t have evidence that Turner and Kingston intended to commit fraud and said some of the alleged victims got their money and merchandise back, per NBC6.
The singer, who was born in Miami and raised in Jamaica, first rose to fame internationally for his 2007 hit song “Beautiful Girls.” His breakthrough continued throughout the 2010s, including a collaboration with Justin Bieber and an appearance on the hit Disney Channel show Suite Life on Deck.
