Months after being convicted in a high-end fraud scheme in South Florida, Grammy-winning singer Sean Kingston was sentenced on Friday to three and a half years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Kingston had requested to self-surrender at a later date due to health concerns, but Florida Judge David Leibowitz ordered the 35-year-old “Beautiful Girls” singer to be taken into custody immediately and begin serving his sentence.
In March, Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, and his mother, Janice Turner, were convicted by a federal jury on four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Prosecutors said the duo led an organized scheme to defraud several luxury companies of high-end goods.
“The defendants unjustly enriched themselves by falsely representing that they had executed bank wire or other monetary payment transfers … [then] retained or attempted to retain the vehicles, jewelry and other goods despite non-payment,” federal prosecutors explained. “Through the execution of this scheme, the defendants obtained in excess of $1 million in property.”
Turner was arrested in May 2024 during a SWAT raid at her son’s Florida home. Hours later, Kingston was taken into custody in California.
Last month, Turner was sentenced to five years in prison with three years of probation. Once her sentence is completed, she will face deportation back to her native Jamaica.
At Friday’s hearing, before announcing the sentence, Judge Leibowitz noted that he considered Turner’s actions more severe. Turner admitted to sending fake bank wires and falsified documents but claimed she did so to protect her son from scammers and to give herself time to verify the people they were doing business with. She stated that she always intended to repay the debts.
Kingston expressed remorse in court for his role in the crimes.
“I apologize, I apologize, I’ve learned from my actions,” he said. “All I’m asking for is to accept my apology to the court.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Anton described the former chart-topper as “a thief through and through.”
A restitution hearing is scheduled for October, according to NBC Miami.
