American-Jamaican rapper Sean Kingston, best known for his 2007 hit Beautiful Girls, has been sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison.
The musician was convicted in a multimillion-dollar wire fraud scheme.
Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, was found guilty earlier this year alongside his mother, Janice Turner, for orchestrating a plan that defrauded victims of more than Sh130 million ($1 million).
Prosecutors said the duo exploited Kingston’s celebrity status to obtain luxury goods ranging from high-end watches to a 232-inch LED television, a bulletproof Cadillac Escalade, and expensive furniture.
According to the BBC, Kingston would contact victims through social media platforms, expressing interest in purchasing luxury products.
He often invited them to his lavish South Florida homes, promising to showcase their items on his social media pages and even connect them with other celebrities. But when payments became due, prosecutors said, Kingston and his mother sent falsified wire transfer receipts to trick victims into believing they had been paid.
Most victims never received compensation for their products, though some were eventually paid after legal action or law enforcement intervention.
Text messages presented in court revealed the inner workings of the scheme, with Kingston instructing his mother to fabricate documents. In one exchange, he allegedly wrote, “I told you to make [a] fake receipt.”
His mother, who played a central role in the fraudulent operation, was sentenced in July to five years in prison.
Before his sentencing, Kingston addressed the court, apologising for his actions. “I’ve learned from this, and I take full responsibility,” he reportedly said, according to US media outlets.
Kingston’s lawyer, Zeljka Bozanic, painted a picture of a star overwhelmed by sudden fame. He described the rapper as “a soft guy who grew up poor when he rose to fame overnight,” adding that Kingston struggled with managing finances and business decisions, often approaching money with the “mentality of a teenager.”
The 34-year-old singer’s legal troubles escalated in 2024 when authorities raided his Florida mansion, taking his mother into custody. Kingston himself was arrested shortly afterwards in California, where he was scheduled to perform at an Army training base in the Mojave Desert.
Kingston, who first shot to global stardom in his teens, also enjoyed chart success with hits such as Fire Burning, Take You There, and Eenie Meenie, a collaboration with Justin Bieber. But his career has been overshadowed in recent years by mounting legal battles and financial disputes.
With the sentence now confirmed, Kingston is expected to begin serving his prison term immediately, marking a dramatic fall from grace for the one-time chart-topping artist.