July 20 (UPI) — Rapper Sean Kingston and his mother appeared in Florida federal court Friday after being charged in a wire fraud scheme to obtain more than $1 million worth of luxury goods.
Kingston, 34, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, and his mother, Janice Turner, 61, were indicted by a federal grand jury earlier this month on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
The two face up to 20 years in prison on each count if convicted.
Prosecutors alleged Kingston and his mother from April 11, 2023 to March 29 obtained over $1 million in luxury cars, jewelry and other pricey items through a scheme where the rapper would use his celebrity status to persuade vendors to “stray from their regular business practices” and deliver the goods without receiving full payment.
The two also allegedly used fake documents to show they initiated payment to the vendors when in reality they did not.
Police in May executed a raid of Kingston’s Florida home after a civil complaint accused him of not paying for a $150,000 entertainment system.
Turner was arrested during the raid, which also turned up over $1 million worth of luxury items.
Her son was arrested the same day as he was about to perform at Fort Irwin, an Army training base in the Mojave Desert.
Kingston was released Friday on a $10,000 cash bond, and Turner was released on a $5,000 cash bond. Their next court date is Aug. 9.
Turner pleaded guilty in a separate case in 2006 to four counts of filing false loan applications and one count of fraud. She was forced to repay $132,000 in stolen funds and sentenced to 16 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.