Sean Kingston And Mother Indicted In $1M Federal Wire Fraud Scheme
Sean Kingston has been indicted on federal wire fraud charges stemming from a $1 million scheme in which the defendants defrauded victims of pricey items including luxury cars and jewelry.
On Friday (July 19), the 34-year-old singer and his mother, Janice Turner, appeared in Miami federal court and were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud. Both Kingston and his mother face up to 20 years in prison for each count if convicted.
According to the case, Kingston and his mother acquired more than $1 million in vehicles, jewelry, and other goods from unsuspecting sellers through the usage of fraudulent documents and Kingston’s celebrity status.
The hit-maker is accused of using a “script” to lure in his victims, in which he references his work with Justin Bieber and his lavish lifestyle to convince sellers to part with their possessions under the guise they’ll receive full compensation for the transaction. However, the payments Kingston processes through the banks don’t go through, resulting in the sellers never receiving their funds, as previously agreed to.
“[Kingston and Turner] unjustly enriched themselves by falsely representing that they had executed bank wire or other monetary payment transfers,” read a statement from the United States Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Florida, released upon news of the indictment.
Kingston and his mother were both arrested in May following a raid of Kingston’s home in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. Turner, who was present at Kingston’s home at the time of the raid, was taken into custody, while Kingston was later arrested without incident during a live performance in California. The crooner, best known for his chart-topping 2007 hit “Beautiful Girls,” has since been extradited back to Florida.
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