Sean Kingston, mum arraigned for ‘defrauding businesses of $1m’
Sean Kingston, the Jamaican-American singer, and Janice Turner, his mother, have been arraigned for allegedly defrauding multiple businesses of over $1 million.
In May, the 34-year-old singer, born Kisean Anderson, and Turner, 61, were arrested in California on “fraud and theft charges”.
The pair were later charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud charges at a federal court in Miami.
The charges were reportedly due to their alleged involvement in a scheme to defraud victim sellers of high-end specialty vehicles, jewelry and other goods purchased via fraudulent documents.
According to Sun Sentinel, Kingston and his mum were arraigned on Monday before Ernest Kollra, the presiding judge at the Broward Circuit court in Florida.
The rapper and Turner pleaded not guilty to organised theft and grand theft charges. A bond was set at $90,000 to ensure that the defendants return for their trial in court.
The court then adjourned the case till October 11 for further hearing. If convicted, both face up to 20 years in prison for each of the six charged counts.
According to records at the Florida department of corrections, Kingston is currently on two years’ probation for trafficking stolen property.
His mother previously served time for bank fraud in 2006.
Kingston is best known for his 2007 chat-topping song ‘Beautiful Girls’; another hit, ‘Take You There’; and his collaboration with Justin Bieber on the song ‘Eenie Meenie.’
