Singer Sean Kingston Sentenced Over $1m Fraud

Singer Sean Kingston Sentenced Over $1m Fraud

Singer Sean Kingston was sentenced on Friday to three and a half years in prison for his role in a $1 million fraud scheme involving luxury goods.

Kingston, 35, whose real name is Kisean Paul Anderson, was convicted in March alongside his mother, Janice Eleanor Turner, of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. Turner received a five-year sentence last month.

Prosecutors said Kingston used his celebrity status to acquire items including a bulletproof Cadillac Escalade, luxury watches and a 19-foot LED television without paying. Court filings said he presented falsified wire transfer receipts and promised social media promotion to persuade sellers.

U.S. District Judge David Leibowitz ordered Kingston taken into custody immediately after the hearing in South Florida, rejecting a defense request for delayed surrender due to health concerns.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Anton called Kingston “a thief and a conman” who exploited his fame to defraud victims for years. Defense lawyer Zeljka Bozanic argued the singer lacked financial discipline but had started repaying victims.

Kingston and his mother were arrested in May 2024 during a SWAT raid on his Fort Lauderdale rental home.

Born in Florida and raised in Jamaica, Kingston rose to fame in 2007 at age 17 with the hit single Beautiful Girls.