Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, have been indicted on allegations of wire fraud.
The Beautiful Girls singer and his 61-year-old mother are accused of pressuring multiple businesses to give them goods that had not yet been paid for, claiming that the money for the items had been wired and was in transit.
Us magazine reports that a federal grand jury in Miami charged Kingston and Turner on five counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charges each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The US Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Florida claims the mother-son duo "unjustly enriched themselves" to the tune of more than $1 million by falsely representing that they had executed bank wire or other monetary payment transfers.
Prosecutors allege that Kingston - whose legal name is Kisean Anderson - and Turner used fraudulent documents to pressure dealers of luxury vehicles, jewellery and other high-end items to hand over goods before they had received a full payment.
The singer was released on a $10,000 cash bond. His mother was released on a $5,000 cash bond the same day. They are both due in court for their next appearance on 9 August.
