Whelp, that’s that. Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, were just found guilty on all counts in their federal wire fraud trial on Friday (March 28) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The verdict follows allegations that the pair defrauded multiple businesses out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Sheesh.
According to prosecutors, Kingston and Turner engaged in a scheme targeting high-end retailers, including a jewelry business, a luxury bed company, a car dealership specializing in exotic vehicles, and a microLED TV company. Authorities allege they obtained nearly $500,000 in jewelry, over $200,000 from Bank of America, $160,000 from an Escalade dealer, more than $100,000 from First Republic Bank, and $86,000 from a custom bed manufacturer between October 2023 and March 2024.
The jury deliberated for approximately three hours before delivering the guilty verdict. As the decision was read, both Kingston and Turner were visibly emotional, wiping away tears before sharing an embrace. Turner was immediately taken into federal custody, while Kingston was permitted to remain free on bond under strict conditions, including house arrest with electronic monitoring.
Get this, before leaving the courtroom, Kingston thanked Judge David S. Leibowitz for his fairness and requested that federal agents “protect his mother.”
Surreal.
Defense attorney Humberto Dominguez argued during closing statements that Turner acted out of maternal instinct, attempting to shield her son from financial exploitation. “This case is about a woman’s intuition,” Dominguez said. Kingston initially expressed a desire to testify but ultimately chose not to take the stand.
Judge Leibowitz cited Turner’s testimony as a key factor in his decision to deny her bail, stating that her statements demonstrated she would “do anything for her son.” Turner has a prior conviction from 2006, having served 18 months in prison for bank fraud.
Each wire fraud charge carries a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Sentencing hearings are scheduled for July 11, with Turner’s proceeding at 9 a.m. and Kingston’s at 11 a.m.
Like we said, surreal.
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