Rapper Sean Kingston arrested, charged with fraud
(NewsNation) —– Jamaican American rapper and singer Sean Kingston was arrested in California and faces fraud charges following a raid on his South Florida mansion Thursday.
His mother, Janice Turner, 61, was taken into custody at his Florida home on similar charges after Broward County Sheriff's Office detectives and Davie, Florida, SWAT team members served an arrest and search warrant at the residence, a police spokesperson told NewsNation.
Police raided the rapper's residence in Southwest Ranches, which is located 15 miles outside of Fort Lauderdale and 22 miles outside of Miami. Multiple media reports have indicated that Kingston was not home at the time of the raid.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office said Kingston was arrested in the area of Fort Irwin, an Army base in the desert about 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Court filings indicate that Kingston, whose legal name is Kisean Anderson, lives at the mansion, which an LLC owns.
Kingston is best known for his 2007 hit "Beautiful Girls."
Police said that the investigation at the home is active and ongoing and did not provide further information.
Broward County prosecutors referred all questions to the sheriff’s office, which has has declined to release specific details about charges, citing an ongoing investigation. After the raid, reporters outside the home could see authorities filling a loading van with goods. The mansion was surrounded by expensive sports cars.
“People love negative energy!” Kingston had posted on Instagram earlier Thursday. “I am good, and so is my mother! … My lawyers are handling everything as we speak.” The post was later taken down.
Robert Rosenblatt, an attorney representing the rapper and his mother, said, “we are aware of some of the allegations” being made against the two.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.