Sean Kingston Sentenced to 42 Months in Federal Wire Fraud Case

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Sean Kingston has officially been sentenced in his long-running federal wire fraud case, marking a dramatic chapter in the singer’s legal troubles according to Billboard.

At a sentencing hearing on Friday (August 15) in Florida federal court, Judge David S. Leibowitz handed down a 42-month (three-and-a-half-year) prison term. Kingston will also serve three years of probation for his March convictions. His legal team sought home confinement, citing community work and a lack of prior convictions, but the judge ruled closer to prosecutors’ recommendations.

Restitution hearings scheduled for October and the months following will determine how much he must repay and could also provide a window for appeal filings.

Mother Also Sentenced

Kingston’s mother, Janice Turner, was convicted on related charges and received a five-year federal prison sentence along with three years of supervised release.

Prosecutors alleged the scheme used falsified wire transfer receipts to avoid paying vendors for luxury goods worth more than $1 million, including a Cadillac Escalade and a large LED television.

Attorney-Client Breakdown

The case was further complicated by a breakdown between Kingston and his lawyer, Robert A. Rosenblatt. In messages cited in court filings, Kingston told Rosenblatt to stop speaking to the media and to refrain from communicating with prosecutors or judges on his behalf. Rosenblatt later characterized their relationship as “adversarial,” noting irreconcilable differences.

Background

Born in Miami and raised in Jamaica, Kingston rose to fame with mid-2000s hits like “Beautiful Girls.” His conviction and sentencing cloud the next chapter of his career as he faces prison time and restitution obligations.