Rapper Sean Kingston asked a federal judge to go easy on him after his conviction for defrauding multiple businesses. He’d taken responsibility for his crimes, and had a history of charitable giving for the homeless and veterans, according to a memo from his lawyer.
In Fort Lauderdale federal court Friday, U.S. District Judge David S. Leibowitz took note. Then he handed down the sentence: 42 months.
He was quickly handcuffed and remanded to U.S. Marshals for his 3½ year detention. A restitution hearing is scheduled for Oct. 16.
Late last month, the judge sentenced Kingston’s mother, Janice Turner, 62, to five years in prison. On March 28, a jury found both guilty of defrauding businesses out of more than $1 million. Kingston, whose legal name is Kisean Anderson, was found guilty of five of six counts of a superseding federal indictment, according to court records.
The mother helped her celebrity son avoid paying for an array of luxury items, including private charter flights, designer cars, jewelry, expensive watches and rent for a Southwest Ranches home. Some of the businesses were repaid, but about $1.1 million remained missing as of July, the government said.
According to court records, Kingston used social media from April 2023 to March 2024 to acquire high-end merchandise. He’d invite the sellers to one of his high-end homes and promise to feature them and their products on social media.
But when it came time to pay for the goods and services, Kingston or his mother would text the victims fake wire receipts. When the payments never materialized, victims often contacted Kingston and Turner to no avail.
Plea for leniency
In a sentencing memorandum to the court, criminal defense attorney Zeljka Bozanic noted that Kingston was an “overnight” sensation who went from brushes with homelessness to worldwide fame.
Kingston toured with Justin Bieber in 2010 and collaborated him on the hit song “Eenie Meenie.” He is best known for his popular songs “Beautiful Girls” and “Fire Burning.”
Recently, the lawyer wrote, Kingston acknowledged his wrongdoing through a statement of responsibility. For acknowledging that responsibility, Bozanic wrote, Kingston deserved a sentence in the range of 24 to 30 months, not the 57- to 71-month range calculated by a U.S. probation officer.
“Mr. Anderson’s love and passion for music, coupled with his determination and perseverance, led to his life changing overnight,” the lawyer wrote, referring to the rapper by his legal name. “Mr. Anderson went from a borderline homeless teenager to having a major hit album that topped all the charts in the United States and overseas. Mr. Anderson’s success at the age of seventeen was surreal; led to him having to grow up overnight and adapt to the world of music industry. Mr. Anderson worked from a young age to overcome extreme hardships.
“Mr. Anderson has a long history of helping those in need and giving back to the community,” Bozanic added. “He organized toy drives, spent his time feeding homeless on Thanksgiving and Christmas Days, clothed the less fortunate and gave hope and encouragement to people around him. He always praised his mother for teaching him the importance of giving back. Mr. Anderson organized and participated in charity events that would benefit those in need.”
“Those who know Mr. Anderson describe him as caring, kind, always ready to help others in need, whether through financial help or just lending a hand to a friend or stranger in need,” the memorandum went on. “He is described as an individual who relates to others, a person with a big heart and a person always willing to help.”
About a dozen individuals, including family members, friends and business figures, submitted character references to the court.
But at Turner’s sentencing in July, Judge Leibowitz offered a darker view of both mother and son. He said both engaged in “wanton lies and wanton leveraging their status as celebrities.”
Turner’s five-year sentence was above the 2½ years her attorney sought from the court, but lower than the more than eight years requested by federal prosecutors. Leibowitz said her sentence would have been “far less” if Turner had not lied on the stand when she claimed that she sent the fake receipts only to “buy time” to pay the businesses back.
Turner faces three years of supervised release after she completes her sentence, though she likely will be deported to Jamaica because of her criminal conviction, her attorney, Humberto Dominguez, said last month.
In arguing for a lesser sentence for Turner in July, Dominguez characterized Turner as a devoted mother who participated in the fraud only to make her son happy. He emphasized that Turner and Kingston eventually paid back many of the businesses while some of the businesses never lost money at all.
But the government countered that both mother and son should face steep sentences because their “intended” fraud amounts to more than $3 million and over 20 different victims.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Anton said Turner “is, quite simply, a thief.” He cited Turner’s prior history, which includes a 2005 conviction for bank fraud. He also argued Turner had not taken responsibility for the latest scheme.
“She loved the high life, she loved living on Sean Kingston’s coattails,” Anton said. But the lifestyle was “a house of cards.”
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