Penultimate week, Kisean Paul Anderson, aka Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Eleanor Turner, were convicted by a federal jury of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud for their scheme to defraud luxury merchandise vendors of over $1,000,000 in property.
From April 2023 to March 2024, Anderson reached out to his victims on a social media platform, seeking to purchase valuable, high-end merchandise.
After negotiating a deal, Anderson would invite the sellers to one, if not more, of his high-end homes in the Broward County area.
During these meetings, he utilised his celebrity status to lull the victims into a false sense of security by promising to place his victims and their products in social media promos or by name-dropping high-profile celebrities as potential referral clients.Â
When payment was due for the merchandise, Anderson or his mother would text the victims fake wire receipts that Turner had obtained as purported payment for the luxury merchandise, which included a bullet-proof Escalade, watches, and a 232-inch LED TV.
When the funds never cleared, because the receipts were fake and no money had ever been transferred from legitimate accounts, the victims became suspicious.
Despite numerous phone calls or text messages to Anderson and Turner, the victims were never paid or only paid after filing a lawsuit or after law enforcement became involved.Â
A sentencing hearing for Anderson and Turner is set for July 11 before U.S. District Judge David Liebowitz.
The defendants face up to 20 years in prison for each count.
