Sean Kingston, the rapper, was arrested on multiple fraud and theft charges in California. This occurred shortly after his mother was also arrested during a SWAT raid at his rented mansion in Florida.
Rapper Sean Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Paul Anderson, was arrested in Fort Irwin, California, without incident.
His mother, Janice Turner, was arrested during a SWAT raid at Kingston’s Fort Lauderdale home.
The arrests are reportedly related to a lawsuit accusing Kingston of defrauding a Florida-based company by not paying for a home entertainment system featuring a 232-inch television.
Kingston mentioned on Instagram that his lawyers are handling the situation, but he didn’t directly address the charges.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office hasn’t confirmed any connections between the ongoing lawsuit and Kingston’s arrest or the raid on his home.
“People love negative energy!” Kingston wrote. “I am good and so is my mother!”
Robert Rosenblatt, the lawyer representing Kingston and Turner, expressed confidence in addressing the allegations in court and anticipates a successful resolution for both Kingston and his mother.
Ver Ver Entertainment, the company suing Kingston, claimed in the lawsuit that the rapper inquired about buying an entertainment system in September.
They alleged Kingston requested a reduced payment and offered to arrange for Justin Bieber to feature in the company’s commercials in exchange for credit with the company.
Kingston and Bieber collaborated on the hit songs “Eenie Meenie” in 2010 and “Won’t Stop” the following year. According to the lawsuit, Kingston paid only US$30,000 (nearly C$41,000) to Ver Ver Entertainment in November.
The lawsuit alleges that Kingston failed to fulfill his numerous promises for commercials and did not make any additional payments.
Dennis Card, the lawyer representing Ver Ver, stated that this fraudulent behavior is typical for Kingston.
“He’s got basically a script,” Card told. “He says that he works with Justin Bieber, and that he obviously puts on a big show here.
This is a rental house, he doesn’t own it, and he lures people using his celebrity into having them release things without him paying for it and then he simply never pays.”
“He likes having bling, he likes showing off, he’s a showman,” Card continued. “This is an organized systematic fraud.”
Dennis Card alleged that Kingston’s mother is “complicit” in the alleged fraud, stating that Bieber is not involved with Kingston today.
The television sound system provided by Ver Ver is claimed to be worth US$150,000 (about C$205,000).
At the time of his arrest, Kingston was in California for a performance and has been jailed in San Bernardino, California. His extradition to Florida is pending. Turner is being held on a US$160,000 (about C$219,200) bond.
Records from the Florida Department of Corrections indicate that Kingston is currently on two years’ probation for trafficking stolen property.
Turner previously pleaded guilty to bank fraud in 2006, serving nearly a year and a half in prison. The investigation is ongoing.
