A SWAT team raided Sean Kingston's rented Florida 14,000-square-foot mansion on Thursday, where he lived with his mother, Janice Turner, Breitbart reported. Turner, 61, was arrested and charged with fraud as was her son.
The charges are related to an agreement the "Beautiful Girls" artist allegedly reneged on with a company that installed a massive television at the home. A federal lawsuit claims that he defrauded Ver Ver Entertainment after it installed a 232-inch TV based on fraudulent promises.
Kingston said he created promotions for the company with musician Justin Beiber, with whom he collaborated on "Eenie Meenie," in exchange for a lower rate and financing. The company agreed and accepted $30,000 on the $150,000 job and extended credit.
However, neither musician followed through on Kingston's promises and Ver Ver Entertainment filed a lawsuit in February. If convicted, this would not be the first time for Kingston, who is currently on a two-year probation after being convicted of trafficking stolen property.
Crime may be a family affair, as Turner also allegedly has a criminal past. In 2006, she spent 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to fraud after bilking a bank out of $160,000.
The plaintiff attorney for Ver Ver Entertainment, Dennis Card, sees it as part of a pattern with Kingston and his family. "It is amazing what you can get away with if you are a celebrity," the attorney said.
"He creates this larger-than-life, 'I am rich' persona. His mother is a necessary component in this," Card claimed of the Jaimacan-born singer.
"He presents himself as a family-oriented guy, 'I’m taking care of my mom,' but she knows full well what is going on," Card said. While Kingston and Turner are implicated in this matter, Card made it clear that Bieber is not.
"He is 100% not involved in this," Card said of Bieber. "He had the misfortune of doing some work in the past with Sean, and Sean drops his name like crazy."
After news broke of Turner's arrest, Kingston took to social media to deny any wrongdoing. "People love negative energy!" he posted Thursday to his Instagram.
"I am good, and so is my mother! … My lawyers are handling everything as we speak," Kingston added.
That post was taken down later, though it's unclear why or by whom. Perhaps it was related to Kingston's arrest later that day in California, where he was scheduled to perform, Variety reported.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office, which initiated the raid and arrested Kingston's mother, reported that the arrests happened without incident. Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Paul Anderson, is being held temporarily in a San Bernadino prison.
Kingston hasn't had a hit album in more than a decade, so his financial situation may be bleak. However, there's no excuse to live a lavish lifestyle that he can no longer afford if it means defrauding others.
