Hours after Kingston's mother, 61-year-old Janice Turner, was taken into custody during a raid on Kingston's Southwest Ranches home in Florida, the Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) announced that Kingston had been arrested at Fort Irwin, California, an army base where he was scheduled to perform a concert.
Investigators said Thursday that Kingston, whose legal name is Kisean Anderson, would be booked into a San Bernardino jail on a Florida warrant. He was being held at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, California, as of Friday morning.
Kingston is on probation for trafficking in stolen property in a prior case, according to Broward County records.
BSO said a fraud investigation culminated in the May 23 raid in which detectives swarmed the more than 7,900-square-foot South Florida mansion. Footage from CBS4's chopper showed a massive law enforcement presence at the sprawling property, which court filings indicate is the residence of the Jamaican-American singer. Kingston was reportedly renting out the mansion.
The 34-year-old Miami-born musician is known for his hit songs "Beautiful Girls," "Eenie Meenie" with Justin Bieber, and "Take You There" — pop anthems of the late 2000s. His more recent work has included collaborations with rappers Soulja Boy and Trippie Red as well as songwriters Seaforth.
Turner, also known as "Mama Kingston," is a chef who launched her own hot sauce last month called "Mama Kingston's Everything Everyday Sauce." An Instagram account that appears to belong to Turner, (@mamakingstonkitchen), features Caribbean recipes for oxtail and goatfish and boasts more than 9,700 followers.
Broward County jail records state that Turner is charged with organized scheme to defraud, criminal use of personal identification, grand theft, and fraud by issuance of a bad check.
Sean Kingston's home in Southwest Ranches was raided by local police on May 23, 2024.
Screenshot via Local 10
Kingston addressed the raid in a May 23 Instagram post.
"People love negative energy! I am good and so is my mother! My lawyers are handling everything as we speak," the post reads.
Kingston has had a string of lawsuits filed against him, with civil counts for breach of contract and fraud, though BSO has not yet confirmed whether his and his mother's arrests are tied to any of those cases. The sheriff's office has not released details of the allegations in the criminal case.
In February, Kingston was sued by Ver Ver Entertainment in Broward County court for allegedly failing to pay for a 232-inch "Colossal TV" and sound system. The company claims he made empty promises to make promotional videos for it with Justin Bieber in exchange for a discount on the entertainment system.
According to court records, civil judgments in 2015 and 2016 were entered against Kingston for several hundred thousand dollars for nonpayment on high-end jewelry and watch purchases. He was sued in Los Angeles last year for one million dollars in damages for alleged failure to pay for luxury timepieces.
An attorney for Ver Ver, Dennis Card, was reportedly on hand outside the mansion during the raid.
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