Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, are facing decades behind bars as their federal fraud trial begins in Broward County.
Kingston and Turner were indicted in Miami federal court on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud.
The singer and his mother are accused of orchestrating a million-dollar scheme involving luxury goods, bank fraud, and wire fraud, with both pleading not guilty to the charges.
Prosecutors allege the duo used fraudulent documents and fake wire transfers to obtain high-end items, including nearly $500,000 in jewelry, a $160,000 Cadillac Escalade and an $86,000 luxury bed.
Authorities say the scheme also involved over $300,000 from two different banks.
Turner wasted no time making waves in court, requesting a new attorney on her first day.
On Tuesday (March 25), several victims took the stand, including a watch dealer who claimed he lost hundreds of thousands of dollars because of Kingston’s scheme.
Other witnesses claimed Kingston and his mother created fake receipts for wire transfers of money to defraud their victims out of luxury items, including a TV valued at over $100,000.
A car salesman also testified that he received a fake wire transfer receipt after Kingston attempted to purchase a luxury vehicle.
The alleged fraud unraveled in May 2024 when Kingston was arrested at Fort Irwin, California, during a performance, while Turner was taken into custody the same day during a raid at Kingston’s rented mansion in Southwest Ranches, Florida.
The arrests came as Kingston was already serving two years probation for trafficking stolen property.
Turner, meanwhile, has a prior conviction for bank fraud. If convicted on all counts, both face up to 20 years in prison for each charge.