Sean Kingston Sentenced to 3.5 Years in Federal Prison for $1M Fraud

Rapper Sean Kingston was sentenced to 3.5 years in federal prison on Friday for his role in a more-than-$1 million fraud scheme, marking the culmination of a case in which he and his mother, Janice Turner, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. Turner received a five-year prison term earlier, with three years of probation, while Kingston’s sentence was served in federal custody immediately after the hearing. The defendants were arrested in May 2024 after a SWAT raid on Kingston’s Broward County mansion, and the case centered on a pattern of fake wire transfers used to obtain luxury goods that were never paid for.

Prosecutors said Kingston, 35, and Turner used social media and personal connections to arrange the purchase of high-end items, inviting sellers to Kingston’s Florida homes and promising social-media exposure in exchange for payment. When it came time to pay, they allegedly texted victims fake wire receipts, with funds never clearing. Authorities said the scheme yielded more than $1 million in goods and money, including a Cadillac Escalade described as bulletproof, jewelry, and a very large LED television. In court records...