Rapper Sean Kingston was arrested in California on Thursday for fraud and theft, hours after police raided his mansion in Florida and took his mother into custody. The Broward County Sheriff's Office said that Kingston was arrested without incident for a Florida warrant in the vicinity of Fort Irwin, an Army base located around 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Earlier in the day, the Broward County Sheriff's Office and Davie Police SWAT executed arrest and search warrants at the luxurious Southwest Ranches property as part of an investigation that began in nearby Dania Beach, the Broward County Sheriff told The New York Post. More details will be shared later.
Taken into Custody After Mother's Arrest
Kingston's mother, Janice Turner, 61, was arrested at the scene on multiple fraud and theft charges. "People love negative energy!" Kingston posted on Instagram after his mother's arrest. "I am good and so is my mother! My lawyers are handling everything as we speak."
According to CBS Miami, the rapper will be booked into jail in San Bernardino, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles.
"This evening, police in Fort Irwin, CA, arrested Kisean Anderson, aka Sean Kingston without incident on a Broward Sheriff's Office arrest warrant for numerous fraud and theft charges," Public Information Officer Carey Codd told Fox News Digital.
Earlier in the day, aerial footage showed Broward Sheriff's deputies and Davie SWAT officials outside the seven-bedroom estate, with a line of luxury exotic cars parked out front.
The raid is connected to a lawsuit filed in February, accusing Kingston of not paying for a $150,000 entertainment system installed in September 2023, according to ABC affiliate WPLG.
Ver Ver Entertainment, the plaintiff, claims Kingston, 34, only made a part payment of $30,000 for the 232-inch television and entertainment system. The "Beautiful Girls" rapper allegedly never completed the payment after the system was installed at his home in December 2023.
Following the installation, Kingston reportedly gave various excuses for not paying. In late January, a representative from Ver Ver Entertainment visited Kingston's home to collect the remaining balance but was met by Kingston's cousin, who denied any knowledge of the issue.
Employees from Ver Ver Entertainment were reportedly at Kingston's house on Thursday, dismantling the equipment. Dennis Card, the company's attorney, told Fox affiliate WSVN that he had been aware of the raid for months.
Complete Fraud
Kingston is accused of leveraging his name and celebrity status to defraud companies, according to the complaint. Dennis Card, the attorney for Ver Ver Entertainment, labeled Kingston a scammer.
"He basically has a sales pitch that he goes through to defraud people," Card told WPLG.
"He induces them into giving him really expensive things."
Card accused Kingston of engaging in a continuous pattern of deception. "He likes having bling, he likes showing off, he's a showman," Card told NBC affiliate WTVJ.
"My client has a $150,000 television sound system that's in there, there's also about $1 million worth of watches that are in there, there's a $80,000 custom bed that was ordered.
"This is an organized systemic fraud."
Card claimed that the Southwest Ranches property, which reportedly has a value of $2.25 million, was a rental home, stating, "This is a rental house, he doesn't own it."
"He lures people using his celebrity into having them release things without him paying for it, and then he simply never pays.
"He's 100 percent a scammer, he's on felony probation right now for trafficking in stolen property.
The Jamaican-born rapper has collaborated with artists like Justin Bieber, Soulja Boy, Nicki Minaj, T-Pain, Flo Rida, and Akon.
