Janice Turner, mother of singer Sean Kingston, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison after she and her son were found guilty in a $1 million fraud case.
A jury in March convicted Turner, 63, and Kingston, 35, on five counts related to wire fraud, following their indictment in July 2024—just weeks after federal agents raided Kingston’s rented, seven-bedroom mansion in Southwest Ranches.
According to the indictment, the duo ran a wire fraud scheme from April 2023 to March 2024, during which they falsely claimed to have made payments for luxury items including vehicles and high-end jewelry. However, businesses involved in the deals never received any money.
Among the fraudulent transactions were: $480,000 for two watches, $285,000 for another watch, and over $159,000 for a car—amounting to more than $1 million in unpaid goods.
Turner faced a possible 20-year sentence. Her lawyers appealed for leniency, citing her charitable contributions, multiple health conditions, and limited criminal history. They requested a two-and-a-half-year term.
However, U.S. District Judge David S. Leibowitz described Turner as the “nerve center” of the operation during sentencing, according to Local 10 News.
In court filings ahead of the sentencing, her legal team also acknowledged that Turner will be deported to Jamaica following her prison term. Notably, she previously served time in 2006 after pleading guilty to bank fraud.
“Ms. Turner will go to prison; she has earned the prison sentence,” her attorneys wrote. “But anything over 30 months would be a misuse of taxpayer funds given her background and circumstances.”
Sean Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, is scheduled to be sentenced on August 28. A native of South Florida, Kingston rose to fame in the late 2000s with hits like “Beautiful Girls,” “Fire Burning,” and “Eenie Meenie” featuring Justin Bieber. He became one of the best-selling reggae artists of the era, charting multiple times on the Billboard Top 10.
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