Sean Kingston’s Mother Sentenced to Five Years in $1M Fraud Case

Janice Turner, the 63-year-old mother of Jamaican-American singer Sean Kingston, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for her involvement in a $1 million wire fraud scheme that included her son.

A Jamaican citizen, Turner may also face deportation upon completing her sentence and could be permanently barred from returning to the United States.

Turner and Kingston—whose real name is Kisean Anderson—were convicted in March on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. Prosecutors said the pair used fake wire transfer receipts to scam vendors out of high-end items.

The fraudulent haul included a Cadillac Escalade, a luxury custom bed, a $150,000 LED television entertainment system, and more than $400,000 in jewelry. Authorities said Turner played a central role, organizing deals and providing falsified payment confirmations as part of the scheme.

Kingston was arrested in May 2024 at Fort Irwin, a U.S. Army base in California, while serving probation for an unrelated stolen property case. His sentencing is set for August 28, 2025.

Federal arrest records show the fraudulent activity spanned from October 2023 to March 2024, resulting in losses such as nearly $500,000 in jewelry, $200,000 from Bank of America, $160,000 from a luxury car dealership, over $100,000 from First Republic Bank, and $86,000 from a custom bed company.

This is not Turner’s first brush with the law. She previously served nearly 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to bank fraud in 2006 for stealing over $160,000.

At her sentencing, an emotional Turner pleaded for leniency for herself and her son. Her attorney, Humberto Dominguez, reacted to the outcome, saying, “It was a hard-fought sentence, so we have mixed feelings on it. We won on some points and obviously lost on others. All of which will be handled on appeal. Overall, the judge tried to do what was right and what was fair.”

Following her prison term, Turner will serve three years of supervised release. A restitution hearing is scheduled for October 16 to determine how much Turner and Kingston must repay to the victims.

Sean Kingston, best known for his 2007 chart-topping hit Beautiful Girls and his collaboration with Justin Bieber on Eenie Meenie, is currently awaiting his own sentencing.

Given her immigration status, Turner is expected to face deportation proceedings after her release.