By NAN ET Entertainer
Information Americas, MAIMI, FL, Mon. 18, 2025: Jamaican-American rapper Sean Kingston, as soon as a Billboard chart-topper with hits like “Stunning Ladies,” is headed to federal jail after being convicted in a US$1 million fraud scheme.
The U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the Southern District of Florida confirmed that Kingston, born Kisean Paul Anderson, was sentenced on Friday to 42 months in federal jail by U.S. District Decide David S. Leibowitz.
A Fall From Grace
Kingston, now 35, rose to worldwide fame as a young person, mixing pop and reggae to create crossover anthems that outlined mid-2000s radio. However prosecutors say behind the glitz of fame, the artist orchestrated a scheme to defraud luxurious distributors of over US$1 million in items.
In line with trial proof, Kingston contacted sellers of high-end merchandise — together with a bulletproof Cadillac Escalade, luxurious watches, and an enormous 232-inch LED tv — by way of social media. He invited them to his luxurious properties in Broward County, Florida, leveraging his celeb standing to safe belief.
As an alternative of paying, prosecutors mentioned Kingston and his mom, Janice Eleanor Turner, 62, despatched pretend wire receipts as proof of cost. Whereas some victims ultimately acquired restitution after submitting lawsuits or involving police, most by no means noticed a greenback.
Turner, who prosecutors described as central to producing the fraudulent paperwork, was sentenced final month to 5 years in federal jail for her function within the conspiracy.
“The defendants used fame as a weapon,” the prosecution argued. “What gave the impression to be alternative for small companies was monetary loss and betrayal.”
In courtroom, Kingston provided transient remarks, acknowledging wrongdoing. “I’ve discovered from my actions,” he mentioned, as Decide Leibowitz handed down the sentence.
The rapper, who as soon as collaborated with international stars together with Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj, now sees his profession outlined as a lot by courtroom headlines as by music charts.
His story marks yet one more reminder of how shortly celeb fortune can fade — from Billboard stardom to federal jail in lower than twenty years.
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