Rapper Sean Kingston and his mother found guilty of fraud

A federal grand jury indicted the pair in July 2024. The indictment accused Kingston of using his celebrity influence and social media accounts to convince sellers of luxury goods to deliver items before payment.

His mother, the indictment said, often followed up to ensure delivery dates and other details. Payment was then made via fraudulent and worthless wire transfers, the criminal complaint said, while the items were retained by Kingston.

The scheme went on for a few years until March 2024, the indictment said.

The pair pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Turner’s defense attorney, Humberto Dominguez, said during closing arguments Friday that she was trying to protect her son from people after his money, and she had suspicions about a TV installer, two jewelers and car dealership mentioned in court.

“This case is about a woman’s intuition,” Dominguez said.

After telling Judge David S. Leibowitz he wanted to “speak his truth” earlier in the proceedings, Kingston changed course, ultimately deciding not to testify.

Kingston was allowed to post bond and remain out of jail until his sentencing partly because he made the decision to remain silent, the federal judge said in court.

Leibowitz said Turner’s testimony, which he said amounted to obstruction, was a factor in his decision to remand her into federal custody. He said her testimony “makes it impossible to believe she wouldn’t do anything for her son.”

Kingston and Turner hugged as she was taken into federal custody. As he left the courtroom, Kingston thanked the judge for his fairness.

The Jamaica-born artist did not speak to media as he left court in a Lamborghini Urus SUV.

He was 17 when his hit “Beautiful Girls” was released in 2007. It quickly topped Billboard’s Top 100 and stayed there for four weeks. The single showcased Kingston’s hybrid, singsong rapping, part of a Jamaican tradition that underlies the origins of hip-hop, over the musical track of “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King. Its video surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube in 2022, according to Billboard.