Americas – Sean Kingston and his mother accused of million-dollar wire fraud

Sean Kingston, the popular Jamaican-American singer, and his mother, Janice Turner, are facing serious legal problems. They were indicted Friday in federal court in Miami for their alleged involvement in a $1 million wire fraud scheme.

Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, and his 61-year-old mother were arrested in May and are now charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud. The charges stem from their alleged attempt to defraud sellers of high-end vehicles, jewelry and other luxury items using false documents.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said Kingston and Turner falsely claimed to have made wire transfers to pay for the expensive goods. However, the payments were never made, allowing them to wrongfully acquire more than $1 million in property.

If convicted, Kingston and Turner face up to 20 years in prison on each count. Kingston is already on probation for a prior offense involving trafficking in stolen property, while Turner has a history of bank fraud, having served time in 2006. Kingston rose to fame with his 2007 hit “Beautiful Girls” and is also known for songs like “Take You There” and his collaboration with Justin Bieber on “Eenie Meenie.”