Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, have been found guilty in their federal wire fraud case.
On Friday, a judge in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ruled that Kingston and his mother were guilty on all five charges. They were accused of defrauding a jewelry business, a luxury bed company, a used luxury and exotic car dealership, and a luxury microLED TV company, per NBC News.
According to TMZ, Kingston cried when the guilty verdict was read and told authorities to “protect” his mother as she was taken out of the courtroom and into custody.
Turner was taken into custody due to the judge labeling her as a flight risk. In addition to his mother being in custody following the verdict, Kingston was placed in home detention. Their sentencing date is set for July 11.
Kingston and his mother are facing a maximum of 20 years in prison each for every count they were charged with. They were both accused of running a $1 million fraud scheme in which they bought luxury goods such as cars and jewelry while promising to send money transfers, which they never did.
During the trial, the judge ruled that Turner was the "nerve center" for the alleged fraud scheme. However, Kingston's legal claimed he was a "child" who had no idea what was happening with his finances.
The singer and his mom were arrested on fraud charges last May. Kingston was arrested in California after a SWAT team raided his Florida home while his mom was apprehended as well. The raid was conducted after Kingston was hit with a lawsuit claiming he didn't pay for certain purchases, and his mother had a long history of legal issues regarding bank fraud and fake loan applications.
