Jamaican-American singer and rapper Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, appeared in Broward County court on Monday morning, facing charges related to a $1 million fraud scheme, according to authorities.
Kingston’s attorney, Robert Rosenblatt, expressed confidence in getting either the federal or state case dismissed, stating, “We’ll get either the federal case dismissed or the state case dismissed,” as he plans to file a motion to eliminate one of the cases.
Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, was on probation for trafficking in stolen property when he and his mother were indicted by a Miami federal grand jury for wire fraud, part of a scheme allegedly worth $1 million.
Federal prosecutors claim the duo “unjustly enriched themselves by falsely representing that they had executed bank wire or other monetary payment transfers as payment for vehicles, jewelry, and other goods.”
Kingston is accused of providing fake documents as proof of wire transfers and then retaining the items. The alleged scheme netted over $500,000 in jewelry, $200,000 from Bank of America, and $160,000 from a car dealership, all with the involvement of his mother.
Investigators also allege that Kingston used his fame and connections with other celebrities to secure deals.
Not the first fraud case
This isn’t the first time the pair has faced fraud charges. In 2006, Turner pleaded guilty to bank fraud and served approximately 18 months in prison. The current case involves Bank of America and First Republic Bank, with victims including a Cadillac Escalade dealer, as per the arrest warrants.
Records show that Kingston was arrested on May 23 while traveling to perform at the Fort Irwin National Training Center in California. Turner was also arrested the same day during a raid at her home in Southwest Ranches.
At their federal arraignment on Friday, they pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud charges, requested a jury trial, and began the discovery process. Video footage captured them running to avoid reporters outside the courtroom.
The pending state case in Broward County relates to the same alleged fraud, with charges of conducting an organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, and identity theft.
Rosenblatt hopes to have one of the cases dismissed due to the overlap in charges from the same transactions, stating, “We advised the court we are going to be filing some motions regarding double jeopardy issues in federal court and state court.”
Their next hearing is scheduled for October 11.
The U.S. Secret Service and the Broward Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigations.
Read: Sean Kingston faces 20 years in prison following fraud charges
