Janice Turner, mother of artist Sean Kingston, was sentenced to five years in prison on Wednesday after she and her son were convicted in a $1 million fraud case in Broward County.
A jury back in March found the 35-year-old Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, and his mother guilty of all counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
During her court appearance, Turner, 63, cried and asked the judge for mercy for both her and her son.
NBC6 spoke with her attorney after the judge handed down his sentence.
“It was a hard-fought sentence, so we have mixed feelings on it,” Humberto Dominguez said. “We won on some points and obviously lost on some points. All of which will be handled on appeal. So we have mixed feelings on it. Overall, the judge tried to do what was right and what was fair.”
After serving her sentence, Turner will be on supervised release for three years.
She could also face possible deportation to Jamaica after being released and could be barred from reentering the U.S.
Turner will appear in court for a restitution hearing set for Oct. 16.
While her son wasn’t in court during her sentencing since he was placed on house arrest, Dominguez said he wrote a letter to the judge, asking for his mother to get a lighter sentence.
“She’s been a great mom, a loving, caring person,” Dominguez said. “Just like I said, asking the judge to factor in her age and medical condition.”
Court filings on Friday showed Turner’s attorneys asking the judge that her sentence should be only 30 months in prison as opposed to the recommended 63 to 78 months.
Turner also asked the judge to place her in a prison in Miami so that she can stay closer to her family.
Kingston was arrested in California back in May 2024, the same day Turner was arrested during a raid on the Southwest Ranches mansion where the singer lived.
Arrest warrants said Kingston, Turner and others defrauded multiple businesses, including a jeweler, a luxury furniture maker, a high-end auto dealer and a company that specializes in TV and entertainment systems.
Prosecutors said they purchased the items using fraudulent documents, including bank wires and payment transfers, then kept or tried to keep the items despite not paying.
The total value of the items obtained exceeded $1 million, prosecutors said.
A Fort Lauderdale-based jeweler testified at the trial that he was fired and lost his credibility after the singer and his mother falsified a wire transfer for a $285,000 Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar watch.
Turner said she handled all of her son’s business transactions and admitted to sending fake bank wires from her bank account to make payments for her son.
Kingston’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 15.
