Sean Kingston and his mother arrested on fraud and theft charges after SWAT raid of the rapper’s home
By Denise Royal, Carlos Suarez and Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN
(CNN) — Rapper Sean Kingston and his mother have been arrested on fraud and theft charges after the star’s South Florida residence was raided by a SWAT team Thursday morning, authorities announced.
Arrest and search warrants were served at a home in Southwest Ranches, a town about 15 miles from Fort Lauderdale, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. The singer’s mother, Janice Turner, was taken into custody following the raid and Kingston was arrested Thursday evening in Fort Irwin, California, the sheriff’s office said.
Both face “numerous fraud and theft charges,” the sheriff’s office said.
Arrest warrants issued for Kingston and Turner on May 20 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 mother and son 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.
They are further accused of several counts of identity fraud and writing bad checks, and Kingston was charged with violating his probation in connection with trafficking stolen property, according to the documents.
Kingston posted on Instagram Thursday night, “People love negative energy! I am good and so is my mother! My lawyers are handling everything as we speak.”
CNN has sought comment from Kingtston’s publicist but has been unable to identify an attorney for the singer.
The home that was raided Thursday is listed as Kingston’s residence in a breach of contract lawsuit brought against the singer by Ver Ver Entertainment, a company that sells and installs high-end television and sound systems, according to court documents filed in February.
It’s unclear whether the lawsuit is connected to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office investigation, which the office says began in nearby Dania Beach.
Ver Ver Entertainment alleges that Kingston reached out to the company in September 2023 about purchasing a 232-inch TV and sound system, according to the suit. The lawsuit alleges Kingston promised to film promotional videos for the company with singer Justin Bieber in exchange for a lower down payment on the entertainment system.
Kingston paid a $30,000 down payment and the entertainment system was installed, according to the suit. But Kingston did not make the remaining payments on the TV or promote the company alongside Bieber, the suit alleges.
Kingston and Bieber collaborated in 2010 on the hit song “Eenie Meenie” and the rapper told Ver Ver last year that he still had a “current and ongoing working relationship” with Bieber, the suit alleges.
The lawsuit says Kingston didn’t have an ongoing working relationship with Bieber and the singer didn’t “have any intention” of making promotional content with the pop star for Ver Ver.
Ver Ver made several attempts to get the remaining payments from Kingston but was unsuccessful, the lawsuit states. The entertainment system and its installation were valued at more than $110,000 in an invoice included in the lawsuit.
Dennis Card, an attorney representing Ver Ver, alleged that Kingston and his mother work together to obtain expensive items.
“He leads people to believe he’s a wealthy, high-rolling guy,” Card told CNN.
Kingston’s career exploded in 2007 with hit platinum chart-topper “Beautiful Girls” and his collaboration with Bieber on “Eenie Meenie” catapulted him even further into pop stardom. After releasing a string of singles and his “Back 2 Life” album in the 2010s, Kingston largely stayed out of the limelight until his fourth album, “Road to Deliverance” was released in 2022.
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