Rapper Sean Kingston was arrested during his concert on a California Army base Thursday while SWAT raided his Florida mansion, taking his mother into custody, earlier in the day.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office said Kingston was arrested without incident for a Florida warrant on fraud and theft charges in the area of Fort Irwin, an Army base in the desert about 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
The rapper was billed to perform at the base for the United States Army’s Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Programs.
Video posted to social media allegedly shows law enforcement officers at Fort Irwin’s “Army Field” as Kingston performs “Eenie Meenie” on stage.
Rapper Sean Kingston was arrested on Thursday in California on fraud and theft charges.Getty Images
The rapper was booked into jail in San Bernardino at 5:02 p.m. during his scheduled set.
Earlier Thursday, Kingston’s 61-year-old mom, Janice Turner, was arrested when authorities swarmed the rapper’s luxurious Southwest Ranches property in Florida. She’s facing similar charges as her son.
Kingston was renting the mansion.
The arrests were made in connection to allegations that Kingston swindled a tech company out of thousands of dollars in a deal over a television and speaker system.
In February, Ver Ver Entertainment LLC. filed a lawsuit against Kingston, alleging breach of contract and fraud after the rapper reached out to the company on Instagram to purchase a 232-inch Colossal TV and a sound system.
Kingston’s mother, Janice Turner, was arrested earlier on Thursday at the scene on “numerous” fraud and theft charges.BCSO/MEGA
The equipment would’ve cost at least $111,000, but Kingston supposedly promised to make promotional videos about the products with his friend, Justin Bieber, the company alleged in the documents viewed by The Post.
Kingston, 34, and Bieber, 30, famously collaborated on “Eenie Meenie,” which appeared on Bieber’s 2010 debut album.
At the time of the television purchase, however, Kingston had “no ongoing work” with the pop star, nor did he “have any intention” of making the promotional content, the lawsuit alleged.
“[Kingston] made these false statements to induce Plaintiff into a 232-inch installing Colossal TV and sound system with as small a down payment as possible,” the scathing filing claimed.
A contract was agreed upon in Oct. which outlined Kingston would wire a $30,000 down payment before making a second payment for $47,827.16 and make social media posts worth over $38,000.
At the end of the deal, Kingston would have received the new television and sound system for only about $77,827.16 – or almost $33,000 less than the original price.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office and Davie Police SWAT served arrest and search warrants at the luxurious Southwest Ranches property as part of an investigation.CBS News
But Kingston failed to meet his end of the agreement after the system was installed including making the second payment nor the promo videos.
Robert Rosenblatt, an attorney representing the rapper and his mother, said, “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 Shawn and his mother,” Rosenblatt said.
Broward Sheriff’s Office personnel move items in the garage at Sean Kingston’s Southwest Ranches, Fla., home, Thursday, May 23, 2024.
Following the initial raid and his mother’s arrest, Kingston took to social media to clear his name.
“People love negative energy!” he posted to Instagram. “I am good and so is my mother! My lawyers are handling everything as we speak.”
With Post wires.
