MIAMI, CMC – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida says Jamaican-American rapper Sean Kingston was sentenced on Friday to 42 months in federal prison by US District Judge David S. Leibowitz in connection with a US$1 million fraud scheme.
Kingston, 35, whose identity is Kisean Paul Anderson, was convicted by a federal jury on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.
The Office said Kingston, who was born in Miami to a Jamaican mother, participated in a scheme to defraud luxury merchandise vendors of more than US$1 million in property, including a bulletproof Escalade, high-end watches, and a 232-inch LED television.
On July 23, Kingston’s mother, Janice Eleanor Turner, 62, was sentenced to five years in federal prison for her role in the scheme.
According to evidence presented at trial, between April 2023 and March 2024, Kingston contacted victims through a social media platform to arrange the purchase of high-end merchandise.
After negotiating deals, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said Kingston, best known for his 2007 hit song “Beautiful Girls, “invited sellers to one or more of his luxury homes in Broward County (Florida).”
During these meetings, the Office said Kingston “used his celebrity status to gain his victims’ trust—offering to feature their products on social media or name-dropping high-profile celebrities as potential referral clients.”
When payment was due, the Office said Kingston or Turner “sent the victims fake wire receipts, obtained by Turner, as purported proof of payment.
“In reality, no funds were ever transferred from legitimate accounts,” it said. “Most victims were never paid; others received payment after filing lawsuits or involving law enforcement.”
In addressing the court briefly on Friday, Kingston said: “I’ve learned from my actions.”
and then 