Courts Hand 3½-Year Sentence to Sean Kingston in Fraud Case

Sean Kingston appears in a booking photo following his arrest on federal wire fraud charges. The singer was sentenced Friday to three and a half years in prison in connection with a $1 million luxury goods scheme. (Photo Credit: Broward Sheriff’s Office)

The saga of Sean Kingston — once known for the breezy charm of “Beautiful Girls” — has taken a starkturn.

On Friday, the 35-year-old singer was sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison, plus three years of supervised release, after being convicted of his role in a $1 million wire fraud scheme alongside his mother, Janice Eleanor Turner, in March 2025. Turner previously received a five-year prison term, plus supervised release, in July.

Janice Eleanor Turner,

Kingston’s mother, is

serving a five-year sentence 

for her role in the fraud

scheme.

In court, Kingston — real name Kisean Paul Anderson — apologized to the judge, expressing regret over his actions. He had sought to delay surrender due to health issues, but Judge David Leibowitz ordered immediate custody, rejecting the request.

The case against the duo revealed a striking pattern: between April 2023 and March 2024, Kingston and his mother approached dealerships, jewelers, and specialty retailers with promises of social media promotion in lieu of payment. Victims were invited to Kingston’s Florida home and shown fabricated wire receipts to explain payment delays. According to investigators, the items — including a bullet-proof Escalade, a 19-foot LED TV, and luxury watches — were never paid for.

Prosecutors accused Kingston of exploiting his celebrity status to manipulate victims into parting with their goods, describing his actions as a calculated deception. Kingston’s attorney painted a different picture, arguing he was financially naive — thrust into fame as a teenager and unable to manage his money. The judge recognized his acceptance of responsibility and gave him a lighter sentence than initially requested.

The downfall began with a SWAT raid on Kingston’s rented Southwest Ranches mansion in May 2024. Turner was taken into custody on the spot, while Kingston was apprehended later at Fort Irwin, California, where he had been performing.

Kingston’s rise to fame began at age 17 with his 2007 debut, “Beautiful Girls,” which earned the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Hits like “Fire Burning” and “Take You There” followed. In recent years, his legal troubles and inability to manage finances — despite continued musical output like the single “Thick Thighs” in October 2024 — added an undercurrent of cautionary narrative to his legacy.

LL Cool J to Run the Show as Sole Host of 2025 MTV VMAs

LL Cool J will host the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards solo for the first time on Sept. 7 at UBS Arena in New York. (Photo Credit: Peter Yang)

LL Cool J has been a fixture of the MTV Video Music Awards for decades — tearing up stages, setting records, and making history long before most of today’s nominees were even in the game. Now, the Queens-born hip-hop pioneer is stepping into the spotlight solo to host the 2025 VMAs on Sept. 7, live from UBS Arena in New York.

The broadcast — airing coast-to-coast on CBS, simulcast on MTV, and streaming on Paramount+ — marks the first time LL will emcee the awards by himself. He co-hosted in 2022 alongside Nicki Minaj and Jack Harlow, but this year, it’s his name alone at the top of the bill.

The move feels like a full-circle moment for a rapper who’s been part of VMA history since the early ’90s. In 1991, LL took home his first Moon Person for Best Rap Video. Six years later, he became the first rapper to receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, a recognition of both his music video innovation and his role in bringing hip-hop visuals into the mainstream.

In the years since, he’s turned the VMAs into a personal stage for culture-shifting moments — from leading an all-star tribute to hip-hop’s 50th anniversary in 2023 to a surprise Def Jam 40th anniversary set with Public Enemy in 2024.

This year, LL isn’t just the host — he’s a contender. His 2024 single “Murdergram Deaux,” a collaboration with Eminem from his critically acclaimed album The Force, is nominated for Best Hip Hop.

For LL Cool J, the VMAs gig is another chapter in a career that’s defied categories. A two-time Grammy winner, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and multi-platinum artist, he’s also had a 14-season run as Special Agent Sam Hanna on “NCIS: Los Angeles” and launched the SiriusXM channel Rock The Bells Radio to preserve and promote classic hip-hop.

His return to the VMAs is more than nostalgia — it’s proof that the rapper who broke through at 16 with “I Can’t Live Without My Radio” still knows how to command a stage.

“LL Cool J is the blueprint,” said MTV executive producer Bruce Gillmer. “His impact spans music, television, film and culture. Having him host solo for the first time is going to be electric.”

Boston to Rename Roxbury Street 'New Edition Way' to Honor R&B Pioneers

Mike Edwards, Los Angeles Times, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Boston is giving its most famous R&B sons the ultimate homecoming salute. On Aug. 30, Mayor Michelle
Wu will declare “New Edition Day” in honor of the groundbreaking group, and the city will officially rename Dearborn Street at the corner of Ambrose and Albany streets in Roxbury as New Edition Way — a stretch near the Orchard Gardens Boys & Girls Club, where the members first sang together in the Orchard Park housing projects.

The celebration begins with the street-naming ceremony at 10 a.m., followed by a community block party one block away starting at 11 a.m., featuring live music, free food, backpack giveaways for youth, and appearances by the group.

On Instagram, Ricky Bell put the moment in perspective for fans around the world:

“We are so humble and equally excited to receive this incredible honor that is given to us by our home City of Boston. So come celebrate with us, catch a flight, take the train, drive or walk — this event would not be complete without the amazing energy of the #NE4Lifers!

“I am truly grateful for the privilege of being made a permanent fixture in our city that has played such a significant role in shaping our lives and career. It brings me immense joy to think that future generations of my family, friends, and #NE4Lifers from all over the world will be able to walk and drive down New Edition Way. This honor is mind-blowing in the most awesome way. 02119 IS and WILL always be my home.”

Bobby Brown echoed the emotion: “Boston is where it all began for us. This honor means the world to me.”

Mayor Wu called the event “a unique opportunity to bring Boston’s neighborhoods together in a celebration of culture, pride and community” and praised the group’s impact “from our communities here in Boston to the music industry worldwide.”

 

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A post shared by Ricky Bell (@mrrickybell)

Formed in 1978, New Edition changed the face of modern R&B with their blend of smooth harmonies, streetwise swagger, and chart-topping hits. From “Candy Girl” and “Cool It Now” to “If It Isn’t Love” and “Can You Stand the Rain,” they set the blueprint for boy bands and bridged the gap between soul, pop, and hip-hop. Their 1996 comeback album “Home Again” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, cementing their staying power.

Over four decades, the group has earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2017), the BET Lifetime Achievement Award (2017), and inductions into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame (2022) and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame (2023).