Janice Turner, the 63-year-old mother of Jamaican-American singer Sean Kingston, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for her role in a $1 million wire fraud scheme carried out alongside her son
Turner, a Jamaican citizen, was convicted in March alongside Kingston—real name Kisean Anderson—on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. Prosecutors said the pair scammed several businesses by submitting fake wire transfer receipts to obtain over $1 million worth of luxury items.
Among the goods fraudulently obtained were a Cadillac Escalade, a $150,000 custom LED entertainment system, a luxury bed, and more than $400,000 in jewelry. Authorities identified Turner as the key orchestrator of many of the fraudulent purchases, submitting false documentation and managing communications with vendors.
Turner has a prior conviction for bank fraud in 2006, for which she served nearly 18 months in prison after stealing over $160,000.
Sean Kingston was arrested in May 2024 at Fort Irwin, a U.S. Army base in California. At the time, he was already on probation for a previous conviction involving stolen property. His sentencing in the wire fraud case is set for August 28, 2025.
Court documents show that the fraudulent activity occurred between October 2023 and March 2024. The losses included nearly $500,000 in jewelry, $200,000 from Bank of America, $160,000 from a luxury SUV dealer, $100,000 from First Republic Bank, and $86,000 from a custom bed manufacturer.
During her sentencing, Turner broke down in tears, pleading for leniency for both herself and her son. Her attorney, Humberto Dominguez, expressed mixed emotions about the outcome:
“It was a hard-fought sentence, so we have mixed feelings on it. We won on some points and obviously lost on others. All of which will be handled on appeal. Overall, the judge tried to do what was right and what was fair.”
After completing her prison term, Turner will be placed on supervised release for three years. A restitution hearing is scheduled for October 16 to determine how much Turner and Kingston must repay.
Due to her non-U.S. citizenship, Turner also faces possible deportation after her release and may be barred from reentering the United States.
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SMH
This is so shameful