Broward County

New warrants detail charges against singer Sean Kingston and his mother

Sean Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Paul Anderson, was arrested in California Thursday on the Broward Sheriff's Office warrant

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New arrest warrants detail the long list of fraud and theft charges singer Sean Kingston and his mother are facing in Broward County.

Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Paul Anderson, was arrested in California Thursday on the Broward Sheriff's Office warrant.

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His mother, 61-year-old Janice Turner, was taken into custody earlier Thursday during a raid of the Southwest Ranches mansion where the singer lives.

According to the warrants released Friday, Kingston faces 10 charges, including grand theft, fraud, organized scheme to defraud, and criminal use of personal identification information.

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Turner faces eight charges, including grand theft, fraud, organized scheme to defraud, and criminal use of personal identification information.

Singer Sean Kingston was arrested in California on fraud and theft charges after authorities raided his South Florida mansion and arrested his mother. NBC6's Kim Wynne reports

The warrants said that from October 2023 to March of this year, Kingston, Turner and others defrauded multiple businesses, including a jeweler, a luxury furniture maker, a high-end auto dealer and a company that specializes in TV and entertainment systems.

The mother and son "did unlawfully participate in a systematic, ongoing course of conduct with intent to defraud one or more persons," the warrants said.

Turner also is accused of fraudulent use of personal identification related to multiple bank transactions valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars, with Kingston "a principal in committing the crime," the warrants said.

In one instance, Kingston allegedly fraudulently obtained a bed valued at more than $86,000 from a company named Maree, whose website said it "designs and creates the world's largest luxury beds."

In another, a Cadillac Escalade valued at $159,701.49 was fraudulently obtained from an exotic car dealership, the warrants said.

Also fraudulently obtained was jewelry valued at $480,000, the warrants said.

Of the ten charges Kingston faces, one is for probation violation. Florida Department of Corrections records show Kingston is currently on two years' probation for trafficking stolen property. Further information on that conviction could not be found.

Singer Sean Kingston's mother was taken into custody during a Thursday morning raid of a Southwest Ranches mansion rented by the entertainer, officials said. NBC6's Ari Odzer reports

According to an attorney, Thursday's raid is partly connected to a lawsuit he filed against Kingston in February accusing Kingston of defrauding a Florida company that installed in his home a 232-inch television that he never paid for. Kingston was seen posing in front of the TV in a picture.

"He likes having bling, he likes showing off, he's a showman," attorney Dennis Card said. "My client has a $150,000 television sound system that's in there, there's also about $1 million worth of watches that are in there, there's a $80,000 custom bed that was ordered. This is an organized systematic fraud."

In the lawsuit, Ver Ver Entertainment alleges Kingston contacted the company in September about purchasing the television, sold under the brand name Colossal TV, and having it installed. Kingston allegedly told the company that if they would agree to a lower down payment and give him credit, he and Justin Bieber would do commercials for them.

In November, Kingston paid the company $30,000 and the TV was installed, the lawsuit says. No commercials or further payments were ever made despite numerous promises, it contends.

“People love negative energy!” Kingston had posted on Instagram earlier Thursday. “I am good, and so is my mother! … My lawyers are handling everything as we speak.” The post was later taken down.

Janice Turner
BSO
Janice Turner

Robert Rosenblatt, an attorney representing the rapper and his mother, said, “we are aware of some of the allegations” being made against the two.

“Sean and Janice deny their guilt and we look forward to trying this case before a jury in Broward County," Rosenblatt told NBC6.

He added there was no criminal intent and that this should be a civil case.

“There is no criminal activity here, no criminal intent, they were satisfying the obligations of the contract," Rosenblatt said.

Kingston, 34, had some major hits including his 2007 debut single "Beautiful Girls." He's previously collaborated with Bieber and Soulja Boy. According to the lawsuit, Kingston no longer has a working relationship with Bieber, who recently dropped his longtime manager.

"He's got basically a script, he says that he works with Justin Bieber, and that he obviously puts on a big show here, this is a rental house, he doesn't own it, and he lures people using his celebrity into having them release things without him paying for it and then he simply never pays," Card said.

During Thursday's raid, a line of luxury cars were seen parked outside the 7-bedroom, 15,000-square-foot mansion, which records showed had last sold for $2.25 million in 2021.

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 18:  Singer Sean Kingston and mother Janice Turner arrives for the 40th Anniversary American Music Awards - Arrivals  held at Nokia Theater L.A. Live on November 18, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/WireImage)
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FILE - Sean Kingston and mother Janice Turner arrive for the 40th Anniversary American Music Awards at Nokia Theater L.A. Live on Nov. 18, 2012, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/WireImage)

From 2015 to 2022, Kingston had numerous judgments filed against him for not paying for expensive watches and jewelry.

In one judgment, the singer allegedly didn’t pay for two luxury watches worth more than $1 million.

"He's 100 percent a scammer, he's on felony probation right now for trafficking in stolen property, he's got judgements against him for procuring more than $1 million in watches without paying for them," Card said. "This is just an ongoing pattern for Sean."

According to federal court records, his mother pleaded guilty in 2006 to bank fraud for stealing over $160,000 and served nearly 1.5 years in prison.

Kingston will be held in California pending extradition to Florida. Turner appeared before a Broward judge Friday who ordered her held on a $160,000 bond.

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