Sean Kingston, the American rapper, has been sentenced to three and a half years in a US federal prison over a federal wire fraud case involving over $1 million.
The singer and his mother, Janice Turner, were convicted earlier this year on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud.
They were found guilty of exploiting the rapper’s celebrity status to obtain luxury items from victims, sending fake wire transfer receipts when payments were due.
According to prosecutors, the items included watches, a 232-inch LED TV, a bulletproof Cadillac Escalade, and furniture, with a total value exceeding $1 million.
Marc Anton, the assistant US attorney, described Kingston as a “thief and conman” who is addicted to his celebrity lifestyle even though he could no longer afford to maintain it.
“He doesn’t like to pay and relies on his celebrity status to defraud his victims,” Anton said.
However, Zeljka Bozanic, the defence attorney, defended the rapper, saying he had the mentality of a teenager and lacked financial knowledge.
“No one showed him how to invest his money. Money went in and money went out on superficial things,” Botanic said.
Before sentencing, Kingston apologised, saying he had learned from his mistakes.
His lawyer requested a delayed self-surrender due to health concerns, but the judge ordered his immediate custody.
Kingston and his mother had been arrested in May 2024 after a SWAT raid on his rented Fort Lauderdale mansion over “fraud and theft” charges.
She was sentenced to five years in prison in July.
