Sean Kingston Sentenced to Over 3 Years in Prison for $1M Wire Fraud Scheme

Sean Kingston was sentenced to 42 months (3.5 years) in prison on Friday (Aug. 15) after being convicted of federal wire fraud over a scheme to steal more than $1 million in high-end cars, jewelry and other luxury goods.

At a sentencing hearing in Florida federal court, Judge David S. Leibowitz also ordered Kingston (Kisean Paul Anderson) to serve 3 years’ probation over the scheme, in which jurors found the “Beautiful Girls” singer guilty in March of defrauding luxury goods vendors of more than $1 million.

Ahead of sentencing, Kingston had pleaded with the judge to sentence him to only house arrest, citing his charitable work in the community and his lack of previous convictions. But Leibowitz stuck closer to the sentencing guidelines, which called for more than five years, according to CBS News Miami.

Kingston’s mother, Janice Turner, was already sentenced last month to five years in prison over her role in fraud. Restitution hearings are set for October, and both will have a chance to appeal their convictions in the months ahead.

Kingston, who reached the top of the charts in 2007 with “Beautiful Girls,” was convicted in March alongside Turner of essentially stealing merchandise from vendors, including a Cadillac Escalade and a massive LED television.

Prosecutors say the duo exploited his celebrity status to convince vendors to deliver goods without immediate payment, either by “promising to place his victims and their products in social media promos” or by “name-dropping high-profile celebrities as potential referral clients.” When payment was due, Kingston or Turner would text them fake wire transfer receipts, falsely suggesting that the money had been sent.

Following a trial in March, it took jurors less than four hours of deliberation to convict the pair of one count of wire fraud conspiracy and four counts of wire fraud.