FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — American-Jamaican singer Sean Kingston has been sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison for orchestrating a $1 million fraud scheme that exploited his celebrity status to acquire luxury goods.
Kingston, born Kisean Paul Anderson, was convicted in March alongside his mother, Janice Eleanor Turner, on multiple counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Turner, who prosecutors said was a key accomplice, received a five-year prison sentence last month.
According to prosecutors, Kingston, 35, conned sellers by presenting fake wire transfer receipts while luring them with promises of social media promotion. Among the high-value items obtained were a bulletproof Cadillac Escalade, luxury watches, and a massive 19-foot LED television.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Anton branded Kingston a “thief and a conman,” accusing him of systematically using his fame to swindle victims. His defense lawyer, Zeljka Bozanic, argued that the singer had poor financial discipline but insisted he had begun making restitution.
U.S. District Judge David Leibowitz ordered Kingston’s immediate remand after Friday’s sentencing in a South Florida courtroom, denying a request for delayed surrender on health grounds.
The artist and his mother were dramatically arrested in May 2024 during a SWAT raid on his Fort Lauderdale mansion.
Kingston, who was born in Miami but raised in Jamaica, shot to global fame at age 17 with his 2007 chart-topping hit Beautiful Girls.
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