A choose sentenced Sean Kingston to a few and a half years in jail on Friday (August 15). He was beforehand convicted of a $1 million fraud scheme wherein he leveraged his fame to dupe sellers into giving him luxurious objects that he then by no means paid for.
A jury convicted Kingston, whose authorized identify is Kisean Paul Anderson, and his mom, Janice Eleanor Turner, have been convicted in March by a federal jury of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 4 counts of wire fraud. She bought 5 years in jail final month.
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Decide Takes Sean Kingston Into Custody
Earlier than U.S. Decide David Leibowitz handed down Kingston’s sentence, the singer apologized to the choose within the South Florida courtroom. Additionally, he mentioned he had discovered from his actions. His legal professional requested if he may self-surrender at a later date as a result of well being points. Nevertheless, the choose ordered him taken into custody instantly. Kingston was carrying a black swimsuit and a white shirt. Kingston eliminated his swimsuit jacket after the choose’s order to take him in. Officers handcuffed the singer and led him out of the courtroom.
What Did The Rapper’s Legal professional & The Prosecutor Say In Court docket
Within the listening to, Assistant U.S. Legal professional Marc Anton described Kingston as somebody hooked on his movie star life-style even when he may not afford to take care of it.
“He clearly doesn’t prefer to pay and depends on his movie star standing to defraud his victims,” Anton mentioned Friday.
The federal prosecutor described a years-long sample by Kingston of bullying victims for luxurious merchandise after which refusing to pay. “He’s a thief and a conman, plain and easy,” Anton mentioned.
Protection legal professional Zeljka Bozanic countered that the 35-year-old Kingston had the mentality of a teen — the age he was when he vaulted to stardom. The legal professional mentioned Kingston had virtually no information of his funds, counting on enterprise managers and his mom.
“Nobody confirmed him the best way to make investments his cash,” Bozanic mentioned. “Cash went in and cash went out on superficial issues.”
Bozanic mentioned Sean Kingston has already began paying again his victims. The legal professional mentioned he intends to pay again each cent as soon as he’s free and may begin working once more.
Decide Leibowitz rejected the concept Kingston was unintelligent or naive. Nevertheless, he credited the rapper with accepting duty and declining to testify fairly than probably mendacity in court docket. That was in distinction to Kingston’s mom, whose trial testimony Jusge Leibowitz described as obstruction.
Extra Particulars About Sean’s Mom & Their Case
That was in distinction to Kingston’s mom, whose trial testimony Decide Leibowitz described as obstruction.
Kingston and his mom have been arrested in Could 2024 after a SWAT staff raided Kingston’s rented mansion in suburban Fort Lauderdale. Turner was taken into custody through the raid, whereas Kingston was arrested at Fort Irwin, an Military coaching base in California’s Mojave Desert, the place he was performing.
In response to court docket information, Kingston used social media from April 2023 to March 2024 to rearrange purchases of luxurious merchandise. After negotiating offers, Kingston would invite the sellers to one among his high-end Florida houses and promise to function them and their merchandise on social media.
Investigators mentioned that when it got here time to pay, Kingston or his mom would textual content the victims pretend wire receipts for the objects, which included a bulletproof Escalade, watches and a 19-foot (5.9-meter) LED TV, investigators mentioned.
When the funds by no means cleared, victims usually contacted Kingston and Turner repeatedly, however have been both by no means paid or obtained cash solely after submitting lawsuits or contacting legislation enforcement, authorities mentioned.
Kingston, who was born in Florida and raised in Jamaica, shot to fame at age 17 with the 2007 hit “Stunning Ladies,” which laid his lyrics over Ben E. King’s 1961 tune “Stand By Me.” His different hits embody 2007’s “Take You There” and 2009’s “Hearth Burning.”
Related Press author David Fischer contributed to this report by way of AP Newsroom.
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