Latest news with #BeautifulGirls
Miami Herald
4 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Sean Kingston's mother — convicted in $1M fraud scheme — is off to federal prison
The mother of singer Sean Kingston will spend the next five years behind bars for fleecing jewelers and other businesses out of more than $1 million, a Fort Lauderdale federal court judge ruled Wednesday. In March, a jury found Janice Turner, 63, and Sean Kingston, 35, guilty of five wire fraud-related offenses, court records show. They were indicted in July 2024, weeks after authorities raided Kingston's rented seven-bedroom, 7,966 sq ft. home in Southwest Ranches. Kingston and Turner, according to the indictment, orchestrated a lucrative wire fraud scheme from April 2023 to March 2024. They falsely represented that they made legitimate wire transfers for vehicles, jewelry and other goods. But the businesses never received payment. Among their alleged fraudulent transactions included: $480,000 for two watches, $285,000 for another watch, and $159,702.78 for a car, totaling more than $1 million in goods. READ MORE: Sean Kingston, his mother arrested on multiple fraud charges after South Florida raid Turner was facing up to two decades in federal prison. Her attorneys urged U.S. District Court Judge David S. Leibowitz sentence Turner to two-and-a-half years because of her charity work, 'myriad of health issues, and minimal criminal history.' At the sentencing, Leibowitz reportedly described Turner as the 'nerve center' of the fraud scheme, according to Local 10. In a document filed days before the sentencing, Turner's attorneys acknowledged that she will be deported to Jamaica due to her conviction. In 2006, Turner pleaded guilty to bank fraud and served more than a year in federal prison. 'Ms. Turner will go to prison; she has earned the prison sentence,' the filing said. 'However, a sentence greater than thirty months is a waste of taxpayer resources based upon the history and characteristics of Ms. Turner.' Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, will be sentenced on Aug. 28. Kingston, a South Florida native, is best known for hit songs 'Beautiful Girls,' 'Fire Burning' and 'Eenie Meenie,' with Justin Bieber. During the late 2000s, he became a best-selling reggae artist, with several Billboard Top 10 singles.
Daily Mirror
11-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Sean Kingston sentencing postponed after guilty verdict in $1m wire fraud case
Rapper and singer Sean Kingston was supposed to be sentenced today after the Beautiful Girls singer was found guilty verdict of wire fraud with his mother Janice Turner Singer Sean Kingston has had his sentencing postponed after being found guilty of wire fraud earlier this year, along with his mother Janice Turner. The musician was supposed to find out his verdict today (July 11) but he'll now have to wait a little longer. Sean did not have a lawyer present and requested more time in order to find an attorney. The judge granted him his request and has scheduled a new court date for August 28, according to NCB 6 South Florida. The publication also stated that Sean thanked the judge and also spoke out on behalf of his mother, in order to give her more time to find a legal representative. Janice Turner's sentencing is currently scheduled for July 31. The case involved the pair falsely claiming to pay for luxury items, including cars, jewellery, and other high-value goods, by pretending to make bank transfers that were never processed. They managed to fraudulently acquire over $1 million worth of goods and money. The pair's trial took place from March 24 to March 28 in Broward County, Florida, and concluded with the jury deliberating for approximately three and a half hours before reaching their verdict, according to reports. They convicted them of conspiracy and multiple counts of wire fraud. The charges involved defrauding a car dealership out of $160,000 (£123,000) for a Cadillac Escalade, stealing nearly $500,000 (£386,000) worth of jewellery, and obtaining other goods like a custom bed valued at $86,000 (£66,000) without paying for them. Since the trial, the 35-year-old has been under house arrest with an electronic tag and had to pay a bond to be released from jail, while his mother Janice has remained in federal custody. This isn't the first time Sean or Janice have faced trouble with the law after she had previously been convicted of bank fraud back in 2006 and served almost 18 months in prison. Kingston was already on probation for a previous crime when he was arrested in this case. Sean rose to fame due to his 2007 debut single Beautiful Girls, which reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart at the time. He then went on to release a number of singles including Fire Burning, Eenie Meenie and Letting Go (Dutty Love), and has collaborated with artists including Justin Bieber, Soulja Boy and Sean Paul.
The Independent
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Natalie Portman opens up about being ‘really sexualised' as a child
Natalie Portman has opened up about being subjected to a 'long Lolita phase' when she was 'really sexualised' as a child actor. The Oscar-winning actor made her debut performance aged 13, starring in Luc Besson 's 1994 thriller Léon: The Professional as Mathilde, a young girl taken in by a hitman after the death of her family. Speaking to Wednesday star Jenna Ortega for Interview magazine, Portman said that she was sexualised as a child, an experience she thinks is endemic for young girls on screen. 'I've talked about it a little before – about how, as a kid, I was really sexualized, which I think happens to a lot of young girls who are onscreen. I felt very scared by it,' she said. She continued: 'Obviously sexuality is a huge part of being a kid, but I wanted it to be inside of me, not directed towards me. And I felt like my way of protecting myself was to be like, 'I'm so serious. I'm so studious. I'm smart, and that's not the kind of girl you attack.' In an attempt to get people to leave her alone, she created an image of herself as overly smart as a defence mechanism. 'It shouldn't be a thing, but it worked,' she said. 'But I think that's the disconnect between me being stupid and silly in real life, and people thinking that I'm some really serious bookish person. I'm not a particularly private person in real life – I'll tell you anything – but in public, it was so clear early on that if you tell people how private you are, your privacy gets respected a lot more.' She added: 'I set up a little bit of a barrier to be like, 'I'm not going to do photo shoots with my kids.'' As a teenager, Portman starred in such films as Beautiful Girls (1996), Mars Attacks! (1996), Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Anywhere But Here (1999) and Where the Heart Is (2000). She took a step back from acting from 1999 to 2003 to study psychology at Harvard University, but returned to stage in 2001 to appear in a Broadway production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull. She won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in the 2010 film Black Swan, a psychological horror film about the world of professional ballet. Portman has previously spoken about her role in Leon, telling The Hollywood Reporter in 2023 that her relationship with the film was 'complicated'. 'It's a movie that's still beloved, and people come up to me about it more than almost anything I've ever made, and it gave me my career,' she said, adding: 'But it is definitely, when you watch it now, it definitely has some cringey, to say the least, aspects to it. So, yes, it's complicated for me.' In 2020, Portman said she built 'fortresses' to protect herself from the media after being painted as a 'Lolita figure'. 'Being sexualised as a child, I think, took away from my own sexuality because it made me afraid,' she said. 'It made me feel like the way I can be safe is to be like, 'I'm conservative, and I'm serious, and you should respect me, and I'm smart and don't look at me that way.''
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean Kingston Released From Custody After Paying $100,000 Bond
Sean Kingston is free, once again. The 35-year-old artist was released from custody after posting his $100,000 bond. This past Tuesday (April 15), the 'Beautiful Girls' singer was brought back into custody at the Federal Detention Center in Miami for not paying the fee, according to He was previously ordered to home detention while they waited for sentencing, provided he did not pay the $100,000. However, his lawyer confirmed that he has paid the amount in full. 'Mr. Kingston's bond has been posted, and he is in the process of being released,' Zeljka Bozanic told TMZ. Now that Kingston is home, home detention continues, and he is being monitored via GPS. He has also handed over his passport. Last month, the Jamaican rapper and his mother, Janice Turner, were convicted of all charges in their federal wire fraud case. They were found guilty of stealing over one million dollars in jewelry, cars, and more in what was called an elaborate ploy. Federal agents raided Sean Kingston's home in May 2024 and arrested both him and Turner. They received their official indictment in July 2024. During the trial, the Image Award nominee reportedly cried when hearing the guilty verdict and expressed concern for his mother; Turner was labeled a flight risk and the 'nerve center' of their fraud scheme. In his defense, his attorneys called him a 'child' who was not aware of how his finances were being operated. Sentencing for Kingston and his mother is set to occur on July 11, and they are facing up to 20 years in prison for all counts. Kingston burst onto the music scene in 2007 with 'Beautiful Girls,' which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. He followed that with 'Take You There,' the second single from his eponymous debut album, which went No. 6 on the Billboard 200. His career declined shortly after his 2009 hit 'Fire Burning.' More from Sean Kingston And Mother Found Guilty In Wire Fraud Trial Sean Kingston And His Mother Grasp Bibles During Their Fraud Trial Glen "Big Baby" Davis Issues Farewell Video En Route To Prison
CBS News
16-04-2025
- CBS News
Rapper Sean Kingston jailed after failing to post bail, awaiting sentencing for wire fraud
Failing to come up with bail, singer and rapper Sean Kingston is back behind bars, awaiting sentencing for last month's federal wire fraud conviction . The 35-year-old musician will remain in federal detention until his sentencing unless he can secure the money for the $100,000 bond. Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, and his mother, Janice Turner, were found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Their sentencing hearings are set for July 11. Prosecutors accused Kingston and Turner of orchestrating a scheme to obtain high-end items — including a luxury SUV, jewelry, expensive watches and a wall-sized TV — without paying for them. After his conviction in March , Kingston was immediately placed on house arrest. The judge rejected his request to travel for a scheduled performance in Texas, stating, "He's not going to Texas." Turner was promptly taken into custody, with the judge citing her past criminal history and significant role in the scheme, describing her as the "operator, fixer, and accountant" behind the fraudulent activity. Prosecutors described Kingston and Turner as "masters of deception and fraud." Authorities presented evidence showing the pair used fake wire transfer receipts as proof of payment. A key piece of evidence was a text message from Kingston to his mother that read: "I told you to make [a] fake receipt," followed by, "so it [looks] like the transfer will be there in a couple [of] days." During closing arguments, Turner's attorney claimed the alleged victims were "fraudsters" themselves. Kingston's attorney attempted to separate his client's public image from his finances, describing him as "a soft guy who grew up poor when he rose to fame overnight," with "no idea how to run a business [and] no idea how much money is in his bank account." Kingston was first arrested on May 23, 2024, at Fort Irwin, an Army training base in California's Mojave Desert, where he was performing. He waived his right to fight extradition and was returned to Florida. In addition to the federal charges, the two also face similar state charges. Kingston rose to fame with his 2007 No. 1 hit "Beautiful Girls" and later collaborated with Justin Bieber on "Eenie Meenie."
