Janice Turner, the 61-year-old mother of singer Sean Kingston, was sentenced to five years in federal prison for her involvement in a million-dollar fraud scheme that has left more than a dozen victims in its wake, and her life in the U.S. now hangs in the balance.
Sean Kingston’s mom, Turner, weeping, appeared before the judge and said she was “very remorseful” for the elaborate wire fraud scheme that she was convicted of earlier this year. “I’m sorry. I aimed to keep my son above water in this grueling industry,” she begged.“ They chewed him up and spit him out. Please, I beg for mercy on myself and my child.”
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Prosecutors described a sophisticated operation involving fake wire transfers and sham payment confirmations. The schemes were used to obtain more than $1 million in luxury goods, including jewelry, electronics, and high-end cars. Turner and Kingston used his popular name and golden aura to execute the con, talking just enough glitz and commandeer to persuade sellers to give up their goods, they said. While Kingston has had the most success during his career, much of the stolen loot was recovered after a raid on Kingston’s Florida residence.
Turner’s sentence also includes three years of supervised release, as well as restitution, although the amount to be repaid to her victims will be determined at a later date. That number could be considerable if the 17 to 21 victims listed in court documents are any indication.
Complicating the scene is the reality that Turner, after her time in prison, could now be deported to her native Jamaica, a kind of damoclean punishment hanging over a woman whose fateful actions, she said, unwisely took root in motherly desperation.
Kisean Anderson, also known as Sean Kingston, was not present for the sentencing. He did, though, send a letter to the court requesting leniency for her, stating that she was in poor health and her 70s.
Turner’s lawyers said the sentence was harsher than anticipated and was based on her previous fraud convictions, even though they maintained she never made a significant personal profit from the scheme. In an earlier letter this month, Turner requested a prison term of no more than 30 months.
Although her legal team will be appealing the ruling, Kingston is not home free. He is scheduled to be sentenced in the same case on August 28, 2025, and is currently free on bond, subject to house arrest.
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