California
Rapper Sean Kingston Arrested in California for Fraud After SWAT Raids His Florida Home
Rapper Sean Kingston was arrested in California on Thursday on fraud charges, several hours after a SWAT team raided his rented South Florida home.
The Associated Press reported that Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, was taken into custody on a Florida warrant near Fort Irwin, California, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
Earlier on Thursday, authorities said they arrested the rapper’s 61-year-old mother, Janice Turner, following a raid on his mansion in Southwest Ranches, Florida. The AP reported that the sheriff’s office hasn’t released details about specific charges, citing an ongoing investigation.
Reporters outside his home said they could see authorities putting items in a van, according to the AP. The mansion was also surrounded by expensive-looking sports cars.
Kingston wrote on his Instagram Story earlier in the day, “People love negative energy! I am good, and so is my mother! … My lawyers are handling everything as we speak.”
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to the rapper’s representatives for comment.
Robert Rosenblatt, an attorney representing Kingston and his mother, told the AP, “We are aware of some of the allegations” being made against both of them.
“We look forward to addressing these in court and are confident of a successful resolution for Shawn and his mother,” Rosenblatt wrote in an email.
The AP reported that an attorney who witnessed Turner’s arrest said it was partly related to a lawsuit he filed against Kingston in February accusing him of defrauding a Florida company that installed a 232-inch television in his home.
Kingston is most known for his 2007 single “Beautiful Girls,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four weeks. He also scored two other Top 10 hits with “Take You There” and “Fire Burning,” as well as collaborated with Justin Bieber on 2011’s “Eenie Meenie.” The rapper hasn’t had a major label release in more than a decade.