大象传媒

Rapper Sean Kingston agrees to return to Florida in $1m fraud case

Sean Kingston wears a black and white jacket and sings into a microphoneImage source, Getty Images
  • Published

Rapper Sean Kingston has agreed to be extradited to Florida, where he and his mother face allegations of committing more than $1m in fraud and theft.

Mr Kingston signed paperwork waiving his right to challenge the extradition in a California court, the San Bernardino County Sheriff鈥檚 Department confirmed to the 大象传媒.

He was arrested on 23 May in Fort Irwin, southern California, the same day Florida police raided his Fort Lauderdale home and arrested his mother.

It is not clear when Mr Kingston will return to Florida.

The Broward County Sheriff's Office accused Mr Kingston, 34, and his mother Janice Turner, 61, of taking jewellery, money, a luxury car and more in an alleged scheme to defraud several businesses out of more than $1 million, according to arrest warrants.

Florida police raided a residence near Fort Lauderdale at which the singer - whose legal name is Kisean Anderson - was named as living in court documents from February.

The Jamaican born singer, known for hits such as Beautiful Girls, Fire Burning, and Eenie Meenie, reportedly remained in a Southern California jail on Tuesday, California sheriff's officials told the news agency they would coordinate with the Broward County Sheriff's Office on his extradition.

In a separate lawsuit, a company accused Mr Kingston of not fully paying for a large TV and sound system.

The company claims Mr Kingston "induced" the business to install the products with "as small a downpayment as possible" by making "numerous false representations", including a suggestion that he would create promotional videos for the company with Justin Bieber.

Following the installation, the company claims Mr Kingston failed to make the remaining payments and it sued him for breach of contract and fraud.

Representatives for Mr Kingston have been contacted for comment.

Before his arrest, Mr Kingston shared a statement on his Instagram account.

"I am good and so is my mother," the singer said in response to reports that his mother had been arrested.

"My lawyers are handling everything as we speak," he added.

Following the arrest, a lawyer representing the pair acknowledged that allegations had been made against them, telling the AP news agency: 鈥淲e look forward to addressing these in court and are confident of a successful resolution."

Related topics