Sean Kingston and his mother apparently had no interest in speaking to reporters last week after a court hearing in a fraud case as they hilariously ran away from the camera in a now-viral video.
In footage shot by Local 10 News in Florida on Friday (August 23), the “Beautiful Girls” singer can be seen running to his car as reporters follow (and prank) him, saying, “Sean, Running like this looks ridiculous.
His mother, Janice Turner, followed close behind, jogging, waving her hands and jokingly shouting into the camera before getting into her car.
The two are leaving federal arraignments in which they have pleaded not guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud charges and have requested a jury trial.
LOCAL 10 EXCLUSIVE: Sean Kingston, known for his song “Beautiful Girls,” escaped from the Fort Lauderdale federal courthouse Friday morning. Read the full story here: https://t.co/TmkFfsU5t9 pic.twitter.com/jxluD3IOL4
— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) August 23, 2024
The charges stem from accusations that the pair hatched a conspiracy to use fraudulent documents to purchase high-end jewelry, specialty products and other expensive items.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida believes that Kingston (née Keithian Anderson) and Turner purchased more than $1 million in real estate and “misrepresented that they had executed bank wires or other monetary payment transfers. To enrich unjustly”.
Turner was arrested on May 23 by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and Davie Police SWAT. Turner, who has previous convictions for submitting false loan applications and bank fraud, was charged with multiple counts of fraud and theft.
Denise Card, an attorney representing one of Sean Kingston’s alleged victims, said Turner’s arrest was part of a larger crime involving her son. Thursday’s raid was related to a lawsuit he filed against Kingston for not paying for items he purchased.
“He likes to have bling, he likes to show off, he’s a showman,” Card told the media. “My client had a TV sound system worth $150,000, a watch worth about $1 million, and ordered a custom bed worth $80,000. This was an organized, systematic fraud. Bullying behavior.
Card continued: “He basically had a script and he said he was working with Justin Bieber and he apparently had a big show here and it was a rental and he didn’t own it and he used his Celebrities come in and get people to post stuff without him paying, and then he never pays.
“He is 100 percent a con man, he is now on felony probation for trafficking in stolen property, he is on adjudication for buying over $1 million in watches without payment. This is just an ongoing pattern for Sean.
Days later, Kingston was booked into the Broward County Jail on fraud and theft charges and eventually released on $100,000 bail.
He was arrested in May while performing in California and taken to a Florida jail on June 2, according to the Associated Press.
He faces grand theft charges for allegedly stealing jewelry, a Cadillac Escalade and a custom-made bed worth more than $80,000. He is also accused of defrauding a bank of more than $45,000, violating probation for trafficking in stolen property and writing bad checks. In total, he faces 10 different charges.
