Within a few hours last week, Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, were arrested on fraud and theft charges, accused of bilking various retailers out of more than $1 million. Turner was arrested first on May 23 during a raid on Kingston’s rented mansion in South Florida. Not long after, the “Beautiful Girls” singer was picked up on the other side of the country, arrested at Fort Irwin, an Army base in California where he’d been performing.
Kingston (whose real name is Kisean Anderson) has since waived his right to fight extradition and will be transferred to Florida where he is facing 10 charges. The charges against Kingston and Turner include allegations of defrauding several businesses and banks, as well as passing bad checks. Kingston is also facing a probation violation charge stemming from a previous stolen property trafficking case.
This isn’t the first time such accusations have been leveled against mother and son. Kingston in particular has become rather notorious for not paying his bills. He’s been hit with, and lost, several civil suits over the years, and is currently facing two complaints tied to outstanding balances for luxury watches and an elaborate home entertainment system.
Turner, meanwhile, spent time in prison after pleading guilty to bank fraud charges back in 2006. A lawyer for Kingston, Bob Rosenblatt, has defended his client from the criminal charges, telling NBC News last week, ahead of his extradition, “We want him back [in Flor.