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Sean Kingston arrives at the 40th Anniversary American Music Awards on Sunday Nov. 18, 2012, in Los Angeles. A SWAT team raided rapper Kingston's rented South Florida mansion on Thursday, May 23, 2024, and arrested his mother on fraud and theft charges that an attorney says stems partly from the installation of a massive TV at the home. Broward County detectives arrested Janice Turner, 61, at the home in a well-off Fort Lauderdale, Fla., suburb. Associated Press File Photo
Jordan Strauss
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Rapper and singer Sean Kingston is back in South Florida, where he and his mother are charged with committing more than a million dollars’ worth of fraud.
Kingston, 34, was booked into the Broward County jail on Sunday, according to jail records. He was arrested May 23 at Fort Irwin, an Army training base in California’s Mojave Desert where he was performing. Last week, he waived his right to fight extradition in a California court and agreed to be turned over to authorities in Florida.
Kingston's mother, 61-year-old Janice Turner, was arrested the same day as her son, when a SWAT team raided his rented mansion in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Kingston and Turner have been charged with conducting an organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, identity theft and related crimes, according to arrest warrants released by the Broward County Sheriff's Office. The warrants allege they stole money, jewelry, a Cadillac Escalade and furniture.
The Jamaican American performer had a No. 1 hit with “Beautiful Girls” in 2007 and collaborated with Justin Bieber on the song “Eenie Meenie.”
Robert Rosenblatt, an attorney for Kingston and his mother, previously said they looked forward to addressing the charges in a Florida court and “are confident of a successful resolution.”
The warrants in the case say that from October to March they stole almost $500,000 in jewelry, more than $200,000 from Bank of America, $160,000 from the Escalade dealer, more than $100,000 from First Republic Bank and $86,000 from the maker of customized beds. Specifics were not given.
Kingston, whose legal name is Kisean Anderson, was already serving a two-year probation sentence for trafficking stolen property.
His mother pleaded guilty in 2006 to bank fraud for stealing over $160,000 and served nearly 1.5 years in prison, according to federal court records.
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Dolly Parton wants to duet with Beyoncé at the Grammy Awards
Dolly Parton would gladly join Beyoncé on stage to sing “Jolene” at next year’s Grammy Awards presentation if Queen Bey’s country music album “Cowboy Carter” is nominated.
“If I’m not caught up in something I cannot get out of, yeah, that’d be wonderful,” Parton told E! News. “I mean, who wouldn’t wanna sing ‘Jolene’ with Beyoncé?”
Parton, 78, said she’s curious what it might sound like if Beyoncé performed the 1973 hit the way it was originally recorded, but she finds the new version “bold” and unique.
Most notably, according to Parton, her version of “Jolene” is told from the point of view of a woman desperately worried about losing her man. Beyoncé sings from the point of view of a woman who takes control of the situation.
“It’s Beyoncé,” Parton said. “Yeah, her life is different than mine.”
Beyoncé dabbled in country music prior to “Cowboy Carter,” performing “Daddy Lessons” from her album “Lemonade” with The Chicks at the 2016 CMAs. Her latest album, which includes a snippet of Parton’s voice, marked a bigger commitment to the genre..
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Parton likewise crossed into new territory in November by releasing her first rock album, fittingly titled “Rockstar.” That debut came a year after Parton was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Parton initially resisted the nomination because she didn’t see herself as a traditional rock music performer. She later came to believe “obviously, there’s more to it than that” and embraced the honor.
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Trial in the fatal daytime ambush of rapper Young Dolph reset to September
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A judge on Monday reset the trial date for a man charged with killing rapper Young Dolph in a daytime shooting ambush at a cookie shop in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.
Shelby County Judge Jennifer J. Mitchell set a Sept. 23 trial date for Justin Johnson, 26. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Young Dolph, who was buying cookies when he was gunned down in November 2021 at a bakery located near his childhood home.
Johnson's trial had been set to start Monday. However, prosecutors and Johnson's lawyer filed a joint motion May 14 asking the judge to delay the trial to allow them to present expert witnesses to discuss cellphone location records.
Mitchell ruled in February that the trial jury will come from outside of Memphis because of intense media coverage of the 36-year-old rapper's slaying, which shocked Memphis and the entertainment world.
Authorities have said two men got out of a stolen Mercedes-Benz and fired shots into Makeda’s Homemade Cookies before fleeing. As they searched for the suspects, police released photos taken from surveillance video that captured the shooting.
Cornelius Smith Jr. also has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges in the shooting. A trial date for Smith has not been set.
Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Thornton Jr., was a rapper, producer and independent music label owner. He was gunned down while he was visiting his hometown to see a sick relative and hand out Thanksgiving turkeys.
Known for his depictions of tough street life and his independent approach to the music business, Young Dolph was admired for charitable works in Memphis. Along with the Thanksgiving turkey giveaways, he donated thousands of dollars to high schools and paid rent and covered funeral costs for people in the Castalia Heights neighborhood where he was raised. A neighborhood street was named for Young Dolph after his death.
Two other men also have been charged in the killing.
Hernandez Govan has pleaded not guilty to organizing the killing. A trial date has not been set for him. Jermarcus Johnson pleaded guilty in June 2023 to three counts of serving as an accessory after the killing by helping Smith and Justin Johnson, his half-brother.
Jermarcus Johnson acknowledged helping the two shooting suspects communicate by cellphone while they were on the run from authorities and helping one of them communicate with his probation officer. Jermarcus Johnson will not likely be sentenced until after a trial in the case.
From combined wire services
