Jamaican-American singer Sean Kingston has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison after being found guilty of orchestrating a $1 million fraud involving luxury items.
The 35-year-old, born Kisean Paul Anderson, was convicted in March alongside his mother, Janice Eleanor Turner. Both were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud as well as four separate counts of wire fraud. Turner received a five-year sentence in July.
Prosecutors told the court that Kingston used his fame to trick sellers into parting with high-priced goods, including a bulletproof Cadillac Escalade, luxury watches, and a massive 19-foot LED television. They said he backed up his deception with fake wire transfer receipts and empty promises of promotion on his social media platforms.
At Friday’s hearing in South Florida, U.S. District Judge David Leibowitz ordered Kingston into custody immediately, turning down a request from his defense team to delay his surrender on medical grounds.
Prosecutor Marc Anton described the singer as “a thief and a conman,” alleging that he defrauded victims for years. His attorney, Zeljka Bozanic, countered that Kingston’s actions reflected poor money management rather than deliberate malice, adding that he had begun repaying some of those affected.
The case stems from a May 2024 SWAT raid on Kingston’s rented home in Fort Lauderdale, during which both he and his mother were arrested.
Raised in Jamaica after being born in Florida, Kingston first rose to fame as a teenager with his 2007 global hit Beautiful Girls.
