In their federal wire fraud trial in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, rapper Sean Kingston and his mother were convicted on all counts Friday.
According to arrest warrants, Kingston, whose actual name is Kisean Anderson, and his mother, Janice Turner, were charged with defrauding a luxury microLED TV firm, a luxury bed company, a used luxury and exotic car dealership, and a jewelry business.
After three and a half hours of deliberation, a jury returned the convictions.
Kingston, 34, was placed under electronic surveillance and placed under home arrest. The court ordered him to post a surety bond for a $500,000 property and $200,000 in cash.
Turner, 61, was placed under remand in federal detention and told to stay there until her sentence.
On July 11, both are expected to be sentenced.
Kingston and his mother wiped away their emotions when the judgments were read on Friday.
After a SWAT squad stormed Kingston’s home in the Broward enclave of Southwest Ranches, he was taken into custody in Fort Irwin, California, in May on a warrant issued by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
In July 2024, the two were indicted by a federal grand jury.
According to the indictment, Kingston utilized his social media profiles and celebrity clout to persuade luxury goods vendors to deliver their goods before being paid.
According to the indictment, his mother frequently inquired about delivery dates and other specifics.
According to the criminal complaint, Kingston kept the items while payment was made through phony and worthless wire transfers.
According to the indictment, the conspiracy continued for a few years until March 2024.
Both of them entered not guilty pleas.
During closing arguments on Friday, Humberto Dominguez, Turner’s defense lawyer, stated that she was attempting to shield her son from those vying for his money and that she had misgivings about a TV installer, two jewelers, and a vehicle dealership that were brought up in court.
“This case is about a woman’s intuition,” Dominguez stated.
Kingston changed his mind and decided not to testify after telling Judge David S. Leibowitz earlier in the proceedings that he intended to “speak his truth.”
The federal judge stated in court that Kingston’s choice to remain silent was one of the reasons he was permitted to post bond and avoid jail until his sentence.
Leibowitz said he remanded Turner into federal jail because of her testimony, which he claimed amounted to obstruction. She “makes it impossible to believe she wouldn’t do anything for her son,” according to his testimony.
As she was brought into federal custody, Kingston and Turner shared a hug. Kingston thanked the judge for his fairness as he walked out of the courtroom.
The artist, who was born in Jamaica, drove out of court in a Lamborghini Urus SUV without speaking to the media.
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When his famous song “Beautiful Girls” came out in 2007, he was just 17 years old. The song swiftly rose to the top of Billboard’s Top 100, where it remained for four weeks.
Over the musical track of “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King, the record included Kingston’s hybrid, singsong rapping, which is a Jamaican heritage that forms the basis of hip-hop.
According to Billboard, its video received over 1 billion views on YouTube in 2022.
This Information has been sourced from nbcnews.
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