Rapper Sean Kingston Arrested During Concert as SWAT Raids Florida Mansion, Arrests His Mother
Rapper Sean Kingston was arrested on Thursday during his concert at Fort Irwin, a California Army base, while SWAT raided his Florida mansion, taking his mother into custody earlier in the day.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office reported that Kingston was arrested without incident on a Florida warrant for fraud and theft charges. The arrest took place at Fort Irwin, an Army base about 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles, where Kingston was scheduled to perform for the United States Army’s Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Programs.
Videos on social media allegedly show law enforcement officers at Fort Irwin's "Army Field" as Kingston performed "Eenie Meenie" on stage. The rapper was booked into jail in San Bernardino at 5:02 p.m. during his scheduled set.
Earlier on Thursday, Kingston's 61-year-old mother, Janice Turner, was arrested when authorities raided the rapper’s luxurious Southwest Ranches property in Florida. She faces similar charges as her son. Kingston was renting the mansion.
The arrests stem from allegations that Kingston defrauded a tech company out of thousands of dollars over a television and speaker system deal. In February, Ver Ver Entertainment LLC filed a lawsuit against Kingston, alleging breach of contract and fraud. The lawsuit claims Kingston reached out to the company on Instagram to purchase a 232-inch Colossal TV and a sound system, valued at over $111,000. He allegedly promised to create promotional videos with his friend, Justin Bieber, to offset some of the costs.
Kingston, 34, and Bieber, 30, famously collaborated on "Eenie Meenie," which appeared on Bieber’s 2010 debut album. However, the lawsuit claims that at the time of the purchase, Kingston had "no ongoing work" with Bieber and "no intention" of making the promotional content.
According to the contract, Kingston was supposed to make a $30,000 down payment followed by a second payment of $47,827.16 and social media posts worth over $38,000. This arrangement would have allowed Kingston to receive the new television and sound system for approximately $77,827.16, almost $33,000 less than the original price. However, Kingston allegedly failed to make the second payment or produce the promo videos after the system was installed.
Robert Rosenblatt, an attorney representing Kingston and his mother, acknowledged the allegations, stating, "We are aware of some of the allegations against the two. We look forward to addressing these in court and are confident of a successful resolution for Sean and his mother."
Following the raid and his mother’s arrest, Kingston took to social media to proclaim his innocence. "People love negative energy!" he posted on Instagram. "I am good and so is my mother! My lawyers are handling everything as we speak."
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