On May 23, the Florida home of artist Sean Kingston was raided by a SWAT team. The 14,000-square-foot home is in Southwest Ranches, which is located 15 miles outside of Fort Lauderdale and 22 miles outside of Miami. His mother, Janice Turner, was arrested on fraud and theft charges following the raid. Kingston was arrested in Fort Irwin, California, hours later.
Authorities from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office executed search and arrest warrants, revealing an alleged scheme that defrauded businesses of over $100,000 in goods. The charges include grand theft, identity fraud, and writing bad checks. Kingston posted on Instagram asserting his and his mother’s well-being and stated that their lawyers are handling the situation. It read: “People love negative energy! I am good, and so is my mother! … My lawyers are handling everything as we speak.” The post was later deleted, Huffington Post reported.
Mother, 61, and son, 34, face “numerous fraud and theft charges,” according to the sheriff’s office, CNN reported.
Kingston was born in Miami and is of Jamaican ancestry. When he was three his family moved back to Jamaica. He returned to the U.S. in his late teens.
Prior to the raid, on May 20 arrest warrants were issued for Kingston and Turner. The warrants detail an alleged scheme starting October 2023 to defraud several businesses including a jeweler and car dealership of a variety of goods valued at $100,000 or more. The pair were accused of grand theft of property valued around $86,000, grand theft from a car dealership of a luxury car worth about $159,000, and grand theft of jewelry worth $480,000, according to the documents.
The raid is linked to a breach of contract lawsuit filed by Ver Ver Entertainment, alleging Kingston failed to pay for a 232-inch, $150,000 TV and sound system. Kingston had promised promotional videos with Justin Bieber in exchange for a lower down payment but did not fulfill the payment or promotional obligations. The case remains under investigation.
Sean Kingston, photo via Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/seankingston/?hl=en