Janice Turner, the mother of Jamaican singer Sean Kingston, has been sentenced to serve 5 years in prison and 3 years of probation for a fraud conviction.
Mama Kingston, as she is affectionately called, received the sentence in court on Wednesday (July 23) in Florida. According to The Sun Sentinel, the 63-year-old apologized to the victims and asked the judge for “mercy” while addressing the presiding judge during her sentencing hearing.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “My intention was to keep my son afloat in this difficult industry. They used him and abused him. I am begging for mercy for me and my son.”
Janice Turner was also ordered to pay restitution to the victims of her and her son’s fraud case.
Turner and Sean Kingston were arrested in May 2024, and hit with fraud charges. The “Beautiful Girl” singer was arrested at Fort Irwin U.S. Army training base in California, while his mother was arrested at a mansion he was renting in South Florida. The singer was subsequently sent to Florida to stand trial after waiving his extradition. The two were tried and convicted in April of this year.
According to prosecutors, the two defrauded vendors between 2023 and 2024 out of high-end jewelry, vehicles, and other items. Law enforcement authorities say they managed to secure over $1 million worth of luxury items, but never fulfilled their financial obligations to secure them.
Investigators say Turner and Kingston also falsely claimed that they made payments via wire transfers for the merchandise, which were never made. The losses include $160,000 from a luxury SUV dealer, $86,000 for a custom bed, $100,000 from First Republic Bank, $200,000 from Bank of America, and $500,000 in jewelry.
Sean Kingston was already serving a 2-year probation for trafficking stolen property at the time of his arrest. Something that the judge may take into consideration at his sentencing hearing on August 28, 2025.
Janice Turner previously spent almost a year and a half in prison after pleading guilty to bank fraud in 2006 for stealing more than $160,000.