The American singer and rapper Sean Kingston has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison after he concocted a million-dollar fraud scheme.
The 'Beautiful Girls' singer, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, was convicted earlier this year and could have faced as many as 20 years in federal prison, after he was found guilty alongside his mother, Janice Turner.
Federal prosecutors revealed during the case that Kingston and his mother would often purchase goods under the premise that he and other high-profile celebrities would feature them on their social media, which never happened.
Kingston was accused of regularly name-dropping Justin Bieber, having collaborated with the Canadian pop star on the 2010 hit 'Eenie-Meenie', but Bieber wasn't involved in any way.
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They also sent across fake wire receipts of payment, having spent over $1 million (£780,000) between April 2023 and March 2024 on luxury goods including watches, a 232-inch LED TV, a bulletproof Cadillac Escalade and furniture.
Despite several companies contacting Kingston when they didn't receive any money, only those who filed lawsuits or contacted law enforcement were eventually paid.
Kingston's mother was sentenced to five years in prison back in July, but the 35-year-old's sentencing was rescheduled, and he was visibly emotional on Friday (15 August) as the judge confirmed he would spend the next three and a half years behind bars.
Back in March, when the mother and son were first convicted, Kingston broke down in tears and shouted 'protect my mother' as US Marshals first took Turner into custody.
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When Kingston was first arrested in May 2024, attorney Dennis Card accused Kingston of defrauding the Florida company that installed his TV set.
He told AP: "It is amazing what you can get away with if you are a celebrity.
"He creates this larger-than-life, 'I am rich' persona. His mother is a necessary component in this.
"He presents himself as a family-oriented guy, 'I’m taking care of my mom', but she knows full well what is going on."
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The pair had been under house detention since first being found guilty, and after Turner's sentencing in July, Kingston's time in jail was officially confirmed yesterday.
Speaking at the sentencing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Anton described Kingston as someone addicted to his celebrity lifestyle even though he could no longer afford to maintain it.
He said: “He clearly doesn’t like to pay and relies on his celebrity status to defraud his victims. He is a thief and a conman, plain and simple."
Kingston's defence attorney argued that he still had the mentality of a teenager who was never shown how to properly invest the millions he earned after his huge success in the music industry at a young age.
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He also suggested that he accepted responsibility for his actions and planned to pay back every cent when he is free, which is why Kingston's jail term is shorter than his mother's, as her court case was described by the judge as an 'obstruction'.
James Moorhouse