A “deeply remorseful” Sean Kingston is asking for no prison time when he’s sentenced Friday for his role in a $1 million wire fraud scheme that scammed vendors out of a bulletproof Cadillac Escalade, jewelry, and other luxury merchandise, according to a new court filing.
The “Beautiful Girls” singer is urging the judge to reject the official calculation by probation officials that found he should be sentenced to around five to six years in federal detention following his conviction last March.
In the new filing obtained by Rolling Stone, Kingston and his lawyers say the department’s recommended sentence should be more like 24 to 30 months now that he’s provided a statement accepting responsibility. And they’re urging the judge to scrap that and go below the guideline range for various reasons, including the non-violent nature of the offense, the singer’s history of charitable work, and his need to support his family.
Kingston, 35, is asking for “home confinement or house arrest” and an order that he repay his victims, the new filing states. Such a sentence would stand in stark contrast to the five years in prison that his mother, Janice Turner, received last month for her role in the case.
“Mr. Anderson is deeply remorseful for his conduct and involvement in this scheme and has had time to step back and reflect on his actions and how to make amends,” the new filing from Kingston and his lawyers reads. “Mr. Anderson accepted responsibility in this case and has made all the positive steps toward learning and growing from this situation.”
The filing says the proposed sentence of home detention “will adequately punish Mr. Anderson for his offense conduct while providing him the opportunity to care for his family and pay down the restitution amount.” It claims Kingston, whose legal name is Kisean Anderson, is the sole provider for many relatives, and that while he’s been on house arrest awaiting sentencing, he “has worked diligently at his home studio” and is determined to be “productive” and pay any restitution owed so he can “start a new chapter.”
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The artist and his mother were indicted last year on charges they engaged in the wire fraud scheme between April 2023 and March 2024. Prosecutors said Anderson reached out to his victims online and negotiated the purchase of high-end merchandise such as the Escalade, watches, and a massive, 232-inch LED TV. Anderson would invite the victims to his high-end homes in the Broward County area and use his celebrity status to lull them into trusting him, prosecutors said. When payment was due for the merchandise, Anderson or his mother would text the victims fake wire receipts, according to court filings. When the funds never materialized – and Anderson and Turner turned non-responsive – the victims filed lawsuits or turned to law enforcement.
A jury convicted the mother and son after less than four hours of deliberations on March 28. According to Florida outlet Local10, Turner was immediately remanded to federal custody as Anderson cried in court and said, “Protect my mother.” Anderson’s sentencing is set for Friday afternoon in the Fort Lauderdale courtroom of U.S. District Judge David S. Leibowitz.
