Sean Kingston, the popular singer known for hits like “Beautiful Girls” and “Take You There,” and his mother Janice Turner have been indicted on federal charges of wire fraud. The indictment, filed on July 11 in the U.S. District Court’s Southern District of Florida, accuses the mother and son duo of participating in a scheme to defraud sellers of high-end specialty vehicles, jewelry, and other goods.
According to court documents, Anderson and Turner allegedly used fraudulent documents to deceive the sellers into believing that they had executed bank wire or other monetary payments for the purchases. However, the money was never sent, resulting in the theft of approximately $1 million worth of property.
Anderson and Turner made their first court appearance on Friday after being arrested in late May. Turner was apprehended in Florida, while Anderson was taken into custody in California shortly after a concert performance. Anderson is currently being held in a Florida jail on a $100,000 bond.
This is not the first time that Anderson or Turner have faced allegations of failing to pay bills. Kingston has been sued multiple times for similar claims, while Turner previously pleaded guilty to bank fraud charges in 2006, serving time in prison.
An attorney representing Anderson and Turner has not yet responded to Rolling Stone’s request for comment on the matter.
The Florida-based company Ver Ver Entertainment, which has had dealings with Anderson, stated that he uses his celebrity status to entice people into releasing items without payment, ultimately leaving them unpaid.
