MIAMI — Rapper Sean Kingston and his mother pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of defrauding multiple companies of more than $1 million.
Kingston, whose real name is Kisean Anderson, and his mother, Janice Turner, entered their pleas during a arraignment hearing before Broward Circuit Judge Ernest Kollra, the Sun Sentinel reported. Bail had already been set at $90,000 during an earlier hearing and Kollra made no changes, the newspaper reported.
The artist and his mother pleaded not guilty charges of organized fraud and grand theft.
Kingston was originally arrested in May in Fort Irwin, California, on a warrant issued by the Broward Sheriff’s Office after a SWAT team his home in Southwest Ranches searched.
Kingston, 34, and Turner, 61, are accused of defrauding a jewelry store, a luxury bedding company, a used luxury and exotic car dealership, and a luxury microLED TV company since October 2023, their arrest warrants state.
Kingston and his mother are due back in court on Oct. 11, the newspaper reported. They also face related charges in federal court.
Kingston broke onto the music scene in 2007 at the age of 17 with the hit “Beautiful Girls,” setting his lyrics to the Ben E. King musical track “Stand By Me.”