Rapper Sean Kingston Arrested in California After Raid of Florida Home

Sean Kingston performs onstage in Miami on June 3, 2023. Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Live Nation

On Thursday, rapper and singer Sean Kingston was taken into custody in San Bernardino, California, on multiple charges of theft and fraud, just hours after a raid at his Florida residence.

Mr. Kingston was arrested during a performance near the U.S. Army’s Fort Irwin National Training Center, ABC7 reported.

Prior to his arrest, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office in Florida targeted Mr. Kingston’s upscale property in Southwest Ranches, with aerial footage from WSVN showing a heavy police presence at the home the rapper and singer rents, including multiple cruisers stationed both inside the grounds and at the front gates.

The singer’s mother, 61-year-old Janice Turner, was arrested at the scene on charges of theft and fraud.

Mr. Kingston, whose legal name is Kisean Paul Anderson, faces allegations of failing to pay for a $150,000 entertainment system, as reported by the authorities.

This legal issue originates from a lawsuit filed in February by Ver Entertainment LLC against the “Beautiful Girls” artist, according to WSVN.

During the raid, Dennis Card, the attorney representing Ver Entertainment, was present and spoke to WSVN.

“He lures people using his celebrity into having them release things without having him pay for it and then he simply never pays,” Mr. Card said.

“He is stealing the property itself,” Mr. Card added. “He has a standardized script that he gives people, which is that he’s a recording artist ... and that he wants to purchase these things, but he never pays for anything.”

The sheriff’s office plans to extend its investigation to other parts of Mr. Kingston’s rental home, Mr. Card added.

Mr. Card elaborated on Mr. Kingston’s alleged tactics.

“He follows a recurring script: presenting himself as a recording artist interested in making purchases but never completing the payment,” he said. “He obtains the goods, and that’s where the transaction ends. This pattern repeats continuously.”

In December 2020, Mr. Kingston was reportedly facing grand theft charges related to unpaid jewelry bills. A warrant was also issued for his arrest at that time, and his bail was set at $45,000, TMZ reported.

A judge also ordered Mr. Kingston in February 2018 to pay $301,500 to Aqua Master, a New York City jewelry store, according to TMZ. The order came after Mr. Kingston failed to pay for nine pieces of jewelry and had previously issued two checks that bounced due to insufficient funds.