A decide sentenced Sean Kingston to 3 and a half years in jail on Friday (August 15), per the Related Press. He was beforehand convicted of a $1 million fraud scheme through which he leveraged his fame to dupe sellers into giving him luxurious objects that he then by no means paid for.
A jury convicted Kingston, whose authorized title is Kisean Paul Anderson, and his mom, Janice Eleanor Turner, had been convicted in March by a federal jury of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 4 counts of wire fraud. She acquired 5 years in jail final month.
RELATED: Sean Kingston Might Reportedly Face 6-Yr Jail Sentence In Fraud Case (UPDATE)
Choose Takes Sean Kingston Into Custody
Earlier than U.S. Choose David Leibowitz handed down Kingston’s sentence, the singer apologized to the decide within the South Florida courtroom. Additionally, he mentioned he had realized from his actions. His lawyer requested if he might self-surrender at a later date because of well being points. Nevertheless, the decide ordered him taken into custody instantly. Kingston was carrying a black go well with and a white shirt. Kingston eliminated his go well with jacket after the decide’s order to take him in. Officers handcuffed the singer and led him out of the courtroom.
What Did The Rapper’s Legal professional & The Prosecutor Say In Courtroom?
Within the listening to, Assistant U.S. Legal professional Marc Anton described Kingston as somebody hooked on his superstar way of life even when he might now not afford to keep up it.
“He clearly doesn’t prefer to pay and depends on his superstar standing to defraud his victims,” Anton mentioned Friday.
The federal prosecutor described a years-long sample by Kingston of bullying victims for luxurious merchandise after which refusing to pay. “He’s a thief and a conman, plain and easy,” Anton mentioned.
Protection lawyer Zeljka Bozanic countered that the 35-year-old Kingston had the mentality of an adolescent — the age he was when he vaulted to stardom. The lawyer mentioned Kingston had virtually no information of his funds, counting on enterprise managers and his mom.
“Nobody confirmed him find out how to make investments his cash,” Bozanic mentioned. “Cash went in and cash went out on superficial issues.”
Bozanic mentioned Sean Kingston has already began paying again his victims. The lawyer mentioned he intends to pay again each cent as soon as he’s free and might begin working once more.
Choose Leibowitz rejected the concept that Kingston was unintelligent or naive. Nevertheless, he credited the rapper with accepting duty and declining to testify somewhat than probably mendacity in court docket. That was in distinction to Kingston’s mom, whose trial testimony Choose Leibowitz described as obstruction.
Extra Particulars About Sean’s Mom & Their Case
Choose Leibowitz’s demeanor was very totally different from what he gave Sean Kingston’s mom, whose trial testimony he described as obstruction.
Kingston and his mom had been arrested in Could 2024 after a SWAT staff raided Kingston’s rented mansion in suburban Fort Lauderdale. His mom was taken into custody through the raid, whereas Kingston was arrested at Fort Irwin, an Military coaching base in California’s Mojave Desert. On the time, he was acting on base.
In line with court docket information, Kingston used social media from April 2023 to March 2024 to rearrange purchases of luxurious merchandise. After negotiating offers, Kingston would invite the sellers to one in every of his high-end Florida properties. He would promise to characteristic them and their merchandise on social media.
Investigators mentioned that when it got here time to pay, Kingston or his mom would textual content the victims pretend wire receipts for the objects. Some examples included a bulletproof Escalade, watches, and a 19-foot (5.9-meter) LED TV. When the funds by no means cleared, victims typically contacted Kingston and Turner repeatedly. Nevertheless, authorities mentioned they had been by no means paid or acquired cash solely after submitting lawsuits or contacting regulation enforcement.
Related Press author David Fischer contributed to this report through AP Newsroom.
What Do You Suppose Roomies?
About The Author
