Sean Kingston and mother found guilty of wire fraud

Sean Kingston and his mother Janice Turner were found guilty on five wire fraud charges following a trial on Friday.

The Beautiful Girls singer, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, and Turner were found guilty on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud after the jury deliberated for three-and-a-half hours in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

According to local10.com, the 35-year-old clasped his hands together and cried as the jurors read out the verdict. He also reportedly told U.S. Marshals, "Protect my mother," as Turner was taken into federal custody.

Turner was remanded into custody as she was considered a flight risk following her testimony. Meanwhile, Kingston, who didn't testify during the trial, was placed on house arrest with electronic monitoring. He must also pay a $200,000 (£155,000) surety bond in cash and put up a relative's $500,000 (£386,000) house by Thursday.

The trial began on Monday and closing arguments were delivered on Friday. Kingston was originally set to take to the stand but he ultimately decided not to.

The Fire Burning star was arrested in California, while his mother was arrested at his Florida home, in May 2024.

They were accused of defrauding multiple businesses by pretending to purchase high-end items using fraudulent documents including bank wires and payment transfers. According to prosecutors, they obtained $1 million (£773,000) of goods via the scheme.

During her testimony on Thursday, Turner admitted to handling her son's business transactions and sending fake bank wires from her account to make payments. She claimed she did so to protect her son from being taken advantage of by scammers.

Kingston's defence team described him as a "child" with no financial knowledge.

They did not speak to reporters outside the courthouse on Friday.

Kingston and Turner will both be sentenced on 11 July.