Sean Kingston Arrested During Performance On Fraud Charges After Home Raid
Sean Kingston has been taken into custody following a raid on his home, where his mother was also arrested. The singer was cuffed in California on Thursday (May 24), after SWAT searched his Florida mansion. According to HipHopDX, Kingston was performing at Fort Irwin for the U.S. Army when he was brought in.
Kingston was booked into a San Bernadino jail, where he will be extradited to Florida. An account on X shared alleged footage from the show, and a text message saying a planned meet-and-greet with the singer was canceled due to him being placed in handcuffs as he wrapped up his set.
Sean Kingston at Fort Irwin getting arrested!!! I have some proof that the sheriffs was there @TMZ @TMZLive I was at the concert pic.twitter.com/r11Yjyrhgy
— Danny Lehmann (@lonewolf132429) May 24, 2024
As reported by HuffPost, earlier in the day, Kington’s mother, 61-year-old Janice Turner, was arrested during the aforementioned raid and is being held on a $160,000 bond. Turner’s arrest is partially related to a lawsuit filed against Kingston in February accusing him of defrauding a local company that installed a 232-inch television in his residence, according to a lawyer.
Ver Ver Entertainment claims Kingston contacted the company last September to purchase the $150,000 entertainment system, allegedly telling the owners that for a lower down payment and credit, he and Justin Bieber would do commercials for them. In November, he allegedly paid $30,000 and the TV was installed, however, no advertisements or further payments were made.
“It is amazing what you can get away with if you are a celebrity,” attorney Dennis Card explained. “He creates this larger-than-life, ‘I am rich’ persona. His mother is a necessary component in this. He presents himself as a family-oriented guy, ‘I’m taking care of my mom,’ but she knows full well what is going on.”
“People love negative energy!” Kingston wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post. “I am good, and so is my mother! … My lawyers are handling everything as we speak.”
Per Huffpost, Kingston is currently on two years probation for trafficking stolen property. Turner pleaded guilty in 2006 to bank fraud for stealing over $160,000 and served nearly 1.5 years in prison for the crime. The Broward County Sheriff’s office did not release specific details about the new charges due to the pending status of the investigation.
Robert Rosenblatt, a lawyer representing Kingston and Turner informed HuffPost, “We are aware of some of the allegations” made against their clients.
“We look forward to addressing these in court and are confident of a successful resolution for Shawn and his mother,” detailed an email to the outlet.
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