What are the charges against Sean Kingston? Rapper reportedly to face 20 years in jail alongside mother

Sean Kingston, the Take You There singer, and his mother, Janice Turner, were convicted in their federal wire fraud case. On Friday, March 28, 2025, they were both found guilty on all five charges they were facing.

The charges stemmed from schemes where Sean and his mother used fraudulent documents to acquire luxury goods from businesses, causing a financial loss of over $1 million to the victims.

The case initially began in May 2024 when the authorities noticed a pattern of fraudulent activities linked to Sean Kingston and his mother.

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What are the charges Sean Kingston is facing?

Prosecutors accused Sean Kingston and his mother of running a fraudulent scheme. In this scheme, they acquired expensive items without paying any money. The items included $480,000 worth of jewelry, a $160,000 Cadillac Escalade, more than $1 million in property, expensive watches, and a wall-sized TV.

They used fake wire transfers and forged payment confirmations to trick sellers into thinking that they had paid for the goods, and once the seller believed that they received the payment they would send the goods. However, the payments never went through and left the businesses at a huge loss.

After the verdict was passed, Janice Turner was taken into custody and Sean was placed on immediate house arrest until the sentencing. Listening to the verdict, Sean cried and told the US marshalls to "protect my mother.''

The judge described Janice as the ''operator, fixer, and accountant'' behind the fraud, and Sean's defense claimed that he was simply a ''child'' who was not aware of his finances. The judge also rejected Sean's request to travel to Texas. The prosecutors further described both of them as ''masters of deception and fraud.''

His attorney also attempted to save Sean's image by distancing him from his financial decisions. Describing Sean, he said that he is:

''a soft guy who grew up poor when he rose to fame overnight, with no idea how to run a business [and] no idea how much money is in his bank account."

Sean and his mother have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud, and each charge can lead to up to 20 years in prison.

The case began in May 2024 when the authorities noticed a repeated pattern of fraduent activities linked to Sean Kingston and his mother. Then on May 23, Sean's mansion in Florida was raided and his mother was arrested. Later on the same day, Sean was also arrested after his concert at Fort Irwin.

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The sentencing will be held on Friday, July 11, 2025.