American rapper, Sean Kingston and his mother have pleaded not guilty to defrauding multiple businesses out of more than $1million.
According to Sun Sentinel, Kingston, real name Kiesan Anderson, and his mother Janice Turner entered their pleas on Monday during an arraignment hearing before Broward Circuit Judge Ernest Kollra.
The performer and his mother pleaded not guilty to organized fraud and grand theft charges.
Kingston was originally arrested in May in Fort Irwin, an Army training base in California’s Mojave Desert where he was performing, on a warrant issued by the Broward Sheriff´s Office.
While Turner was arrested on the same day after a SWAT team raided the singer’s rented mansion in Southwest Ranches.
Kingston, 34, and Turner, 61, are accused of defrauding a jewelry business, a luxury bed company, a used luxury and exotic car dealership, and a luxury microLED TV company since October 2023, arrest warrants said.
Kingston and his mother are expected back in court on October 11, the newspaper said. They are also facing related charges in federal court.
Warrants allege they stole money, jewelry, a Cadillac Escalade, and furniture.
The Jamaican-American performer had a number one hit with the track Beautiful Girls in 2007 and collaborated with Justin Bieber on the 2010 song Eenie Meenie.
Kingston was already on two years’ probation for trafficking stolen property before his arrest.
According to federal court records, his mother pleaded guilty in 2006 to bank fraud for stealing over $160,000 and served nearly 1.5 years in prison.
The two have also been sued by various businesses.
In 2015, a seller of customized watches successfully sued Kingston and his mother in a New York City federal court for $356,000 after they failed to pay.
In 2018, a New York jeweler successfully sued the two for $301,000 after they scammed the store out of nine items.
