A federal jury returned a guilty verdict Friday in the high-profile fraud trial of Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner. Both were convicted on all counts, including one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud.
Turner was immediately taken into custody following the verdict. Kingston was ordered to house arrest as the two await sentencing in connection to their elaborate scheme involving over $1 million in luxury goods.
Prosecutors claimed the pair worked together to obtain expensive items—like a Cadillac Escalade, luxury jewelry, high-end watches, and a massive TV system—without ever paying for them. The fraudulent purchases were facilitated through the use of fake wire transfer confirmations presented to sellers as proof of payment.
A text message presented during the trial revealed Kingston instructing his mother to forge one of the receipts:
“I told you to make [a] fake receipt,” he wrote. “So it [looks] like the transfer will be there in a couple [of] days.”
The case gained national attention in May when the Broward Sheriff’s Office raided Kingston’s Southwest Ranches mansion. During the investigation, authorities gathered evidence that both Kingston and Turner had repeatedly sent falsified payment confirmations to vendors.
During closing arguments, Turner’s attorney attempted to shift blame, labeling the alleged victims as “fraudsters” themselves. Kingston’s defense painted the entertainer as naive, with no business sense and little understanding of his finances.
“He’s a soft guy who grew up poor when he rose to fame overnight,” Kingston’s attorney argued. “He had no idea how to run a business and no idea how much money is in his bank account.”
The jury, however, sided with prosecutors, who claimed the mother-son duo consistently misled business owners for personal gain.
The sentencing date has not yet been set.
