SEAN Kingston has sobbed in court as he and his mom were found guilty in a $1million fraud case that could land them behind bars for decades.
The “Beautiful Girls” singer broke down with clasped hands as a jury in Fort Lauderdale federal court convicted him and his mother Janice Turner of all five charges related to a massive wire fraud scam.
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According to local outlets, the rapper begged officials as US Marshals took Turner into custody, crying: “Protect my mother.”
The duo were found guilty of swindling more than $1million from car dealerships, banks, jewellers, and even a mattress company using fake documents to score luxury goods, including a bulletproof Escalade and a colossal TV.
Turner, 62, was dubbed the “fixer and nerve center” of the scheme by the judge.
She was ordered to be held in Broward County Jail after being deemed a flight risk.
The court heard Turner had previous form, serving 18 months behind bars after stealing more than $160,000 in a 2006 bank fraud case.
Meanwhile, Kingston, 35, was placed under house arrest with strict bond conditions, including a $200,000 surety in cash and putting up a relative’s $500,000 home.
The rapper, real name Kisean Anderson, did not take the stand in his own defense.
His lawyers painted him as a “child” who recklessly spent money without understanding how it worked, the New York Post reports.
Prosecutors slammed the pair for “unjustly enriching themselves”, tricking victims into handing high-end items with fake wire transfer promises.
Victims testified they were duped out of nearly half a million in jewellery, a $232-inch Colossal TV, and tens of thousands more from multiple banks and dealerships between October 2023 and March 2024.
The scam was exposed following a civil lawsuit filed in February by Ver Ver Entertainment, who claimed Kingston promised to promote a $111,000 sound system – a deal that never happened.
Kingston and turner were previously forced to pay out over $300,000 in two separate lawsuits.
One was in 2015 for failing to pay a custom watch seller, and another three years later in 2018 for scamming a New York jeweller out of nine pieces.
Federal agents raided Kingston’s South FLorida mansion on May 23 last year, arresting Turner on the spot.
The rapper was later cuffed in California after a gig at Fort Irwin for the US Army.
He was already on probation for trafficking stolen property at the time, the NY Post reports.
The guilty pair now face up to 20 years behind bars, with sentencing set for July 11.
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Content shared from www.the-sun.com.