Sean Kingston has been sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison for his role in a $1 million fraud scheme.
The 35-year-old Jamaican rapper appeared in a South Florida courtroom on Friday, where he apologised and told US Judge David Leibowitz that he had learned from his mistakes, as Page Six reports.
Despite his attorney’s request for him to self-surrender later due to health concerns, the judge ordered Kingston to be taken into custody immediately.
Wearing a black suit and white shirt, Kingston removed his jacket before being handcuffed and escorted out of the courtroom.
His sentencing follows a March conviction in which he and his mother, Janice Eleanor Turner, were found guilty of four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Turner, 63, received a five-year prison sentence last month, far less than the maximum 20 years both had faced.
Prosecutors said Kingston and Turner enriched themselves by falsely claiming they had sent payments for high-value items, including vehicles, jewellery, and other goods, when in reality, no funds were ever transferred.
Turner admitted during the trial that she had mismanaged her son’s finances.
Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Paul Anderson, was arrested in May 2024 in California after a SWAT team raided his Fort Lauderdale home.
Turner was taken into custody during the same raid, while Kingston was allowed to remain at home until sentencing.
Immediately after his conviction, Kingston became emotional in court, asking US Marshals to “protect” his mother.
At the time of his arrest, he addressed fans on Instagram, saying, “People love negative energy! I am good and so is my mother! … my lawyers are handling everything as we speak.”
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