The mother of singer Sean Kingston took the stand at a federal fraud trial in South Florida.
The mother of Sean Kingston took the stand Thursday on the fourth day of the $1 million fraud trial against her and the singer, saying she did it all to protect her son.
Janice Turner, 61, admitted to sending fake wires from her bank account to pay people, but said that it was all to protect her son from being taken advantage of.
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WATCH HERETurner and Kingston – whose real name is Kisean Anderson – were charged by a grand jury with several counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Turner said she handles all of her son’s business transactions and admitted to sending fake bank wires from her bank account to make payments for her son.
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The mother said Kingston had been taken advantage of in the past and said the fake documents and fake wires were her way of protecting her son from scammers and giving her time to investigate the people they did business with.
Turner described herself as a “no-nonsense mother” and said it was always her intention to pay back any debts.
Last May, Broward deputies seized several luxury cars and raided a Southwest Ranches mansion rented by Kingston. The singer wasn’t home during the raid, but his mother was there and was arrested.
Turner told jurors that the jewelry and luxury cars were necessary as part of maintaining Kingston’s image as an entertainer.
Sean Kingston trial
Arrest warrants from the past two years say Kingston and his mother allegedly defrauded multiple businesses, including a jeweler, a furniture maker, and a high-end auto dealer, among others.
The total value of the items obtained in the alleged scheme exceeded $1 million, prosecutors said.
Defense attorneys argued that prosecutors have no evidence that the mother and son had the intent to defraud, also saying that some of the alleged victims got their money or merchandise back.
Kingston is also expected to testify and will be the last person to take the stand. In court, he told the judge that he wanted to speak his truth.
