Sean Kingston facing 10 charges in Florida fraud and theft case
The "Beautiful Girls" singer was arrested in Southern California last week, hours after authorities raided his Florida mansion and apprehended his mother.
Sean Kingston, the singer and rapper who was arrested in California last week hours after authorities raided his Florida mansion and took his mother into custody, is facing 10 charges in Broward County after the pair allegedly committed more than $1 million in fraud in recent months.
The charges against Kingston, whose legal name is Kisean Anderson, include one count of organized scheme to defraud, four counts of criminal use of personal identification information, two counts of grand theft greater than $100,000, one count of grand theft greater than $20,000, and one count of fraud, according to arrest warrants obtained by Entertainment Weekly. Kingston, 34, is also being charged with violating his two-year probation period for trafficking stolen property.
His mother, Janice Turner, is facing eight charges: one count of organized scheme to defraud, three counts of criminal use of personal identification information, two counts of grand theft over $100,000, one count of grand theft over $20,000, and one count of fraud. Turner, 61, previously pleaded guilty to bank fraud in 2006 and served nearly a year and a half in prison.
Representatives for Kingston didn't immediately respond to EW's request for comment Monday.
Related: Sean Kingston arrested in California, awaits extradition to Florida
Kingston, a Jamaican American performer known for songs including "Beautiful Girls" and "Fire Burning," was arrested May 23 at Fort Irwin in Southern California and booked into jail in San Bernardino to await an extradition hearing. Earlier in the day, authorities raided his 14,000-square-foot South Florida residence, arrested his mother, and reportedly removed several items of value.
Prior to his arrest, Kingston addressed the raid on his Instagram Stories, writing, "People love negative energy! I am good and so is my mother! My lawyers are handling everything as we speak."
The arrest warrants cite several businesses that Kingston and Turner are accused of knowingly defrauding, including multiple jewelry stores and a car dealership.
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The musician is also embroiled in a legal battle with Ver Ver Entertainment for allegedly failing to make payments on the sale and installation of a large television at his residence, according to Broward County court records.
An attorney for Ver Ver Entertainment, J. Dennis Card Jr., echoed claims made in a legal complaint in a statement to EW last week, saying "I sued [Kingston] for defrauding my client out of a 232 inch home entertainment system. A Broward detective read my lawsuit and reached out to me. My client gave a sworn statement in support of a search warrant."
He added, "We have been waiting on this raid for a few months, and today was D Day."
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.