Jamaican singer Sean Kingston sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for $1M luxury fraud scheme

Globally acclaimed Jamaican-American singer and rapper Sean Kingston with hit songs such as “Beautiful Girls” and “Eenie Minnie" has been sentenced to 3 and a half years for a million-dollar fraud scheme. His sentencing comes after only a  month following his mother’s 5 year sentencing in July. 

This comes after the two were arrested and charged in 2024 for stolen luxury items including a bulletproof Cadillac Escalade, watches, a 232-inch LED TV, and furniture, all exceeding $1million (£738,000). 

Prosecutors accused the mother-son of using their celebrity statuses to go to stores and make the purchases without spending a single dollar claiming that they had already wired the transfers to the luxury establishments. Allegedly the two even went as far as faking the wire receipts from the establishment. 

Federal prosecutors outlined the Kingston scheme at the trial saying the Jamaican-American artist had been reaching out to luxury brands online, inviting them to his various South Florida homes with the notion that he wanted to make a purchase of the luxury goods. 

Although when the time to pay came his mother and he would send wired receipts that showed that the two had already sent the wired payment to the accounts. 

A key evidence in the trial, aside from the fraudulent receipts was a text that was exchanged between the musical artist and his mother where Kingston wrote, "I told you to make [a] fake receipt," to his mother. 

Authorities said that while most victims were never compensated, a few did receive payments after the law enforcement officers intervened and the lawsuits were filled.

According to sources, before the final sentencing Sean Kingston whose legal name is Kisean Anderson owned up to his mistakes and publicly apologized to the court, saying that he had learned from his actions. The singer and rapper is set to begin serving his 3 and a half year time immediately.