Sean Kingston, the 35-year-old singer best known for his 2007 hit 'Beautiful Girls', has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for a $1m wire fraud scheme. The sentence was handed down by a Florida court, according to NBC South Florida.
Kingston, born Kisean Anderson, was convicted in March alongside his mother, Janice Turner, for using falsified payments to acquire luxury items. Turner received a five-year prison sentence in July, followed by three years of probation. The pair were arrested in May 2024 after a SWAT raid on Kingston's South Florida mansion.
Prosecutors presented evidence that between April 2023 and March 2024, Kingston used social media to arrange purchases of high-end goods, promising sellers exposure on his accounts. When payments were due, he or his mother sent fake wire receipts. Items obtained included a bulletproof Cadillac Escalade and an Audemars Piguet watch.
During the trial, Turner admitted to falsifying wires, claiming she was protecting her son from scammers by delaying payments. Kingston did not testify. Text messages shown in court included Kingston telling his mother, 'I told you to make [a] fake receipt'.
Before sentencing, Kingston apologised and said he had learned from his actions, the Associated Press reported. His lawyer had requested home confinement, citing the non-violent nature of the crime and that most victims had been repaid.
Kingston, who was born in Miami and raised in Jamaica, has collaborated with artists including Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj and Chris Brown. Court records show Turner previously pleaded guilty to bank fraud in 2006 and served nearly 18 months in prison.
