Singer Sean Kingston’s mother sentenced to 5 years in prison in $1 million fraud case

Janice Turner, the mother of singer Sean Kingston, has been sentenced to five years in prison after she and her son were convicted in a $1 million fraud case.

Back in  March, a jury found Janice Turner, 63, and Sean Kingston, 35, guilty of five wire fraud-related offenses, court records show. They were indicted in July 2024, weeks after authorities raided Kingston’s rented seven-bedroom, 7,966 sq ft. home in Southwest Ranches

Kingston and Turner, according to the indictment, orchestrated a lucrative wire fraud scheme from April 2023 to March 2024. They falsely represented that they made legitimate wire transfers for vehicles, jewelry, and other goods.

But the businesses never received payment.

Among their alleged fraudulent transactions included: $480,000 for two watches, $285,000 for another watch, and $159,702.78 for a car, totaling more than $1 million in goods.

Turner was facing up to two decades in federal prison. Her attorneys urged U.S. District Court Judge David S. Leibowitz sentence Turner to two-and-a-half years because of her charity work, “myriad of health issues, and minimal criminal history.”

At the sentencing, Leibowitz reportedly described Turner as the “nerve center” of the fraud scheme, according to Local 10.

In a document filed days before the sentencing, Turner’s attorneys acknowledged that she will be deported to Jamaica due to her conviction.

In 2006, Turner pleaded guilty to bank fraud and served more than a year in federal prison.

“Ms. Turner will go to prison; she has earned the prison sentence,” the filing said. “However, a sentence greater than thirty months is a waste of taxpayer resources based upon the history and characteristics of Ms. Turner.”

Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, will be sentenced on Aug. 28

Kingston, a South Florida native, is best known for hit songs “Beautiful Girls,” “Fire Burning” and “Eenie Meenie,” with Justin Bieber. During the late 2000s, he became a best-selling reggae artist, with several Billboard Top 10 singles.