Sean Kingston was arrested in Southern California Thursday evening, just hours after police took his mother into custody at the singer and rapper ‘s Florida mansion in connection with a fraud case.
Police arrested Kingston, 34, during a concert on the U.S. Army base in Irwin, California about 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles, the New York Post reported.
The “Beautiful Girls” singer was booked to perform and attend a Meet & Greet with fans at the base as part of the United States Army’s Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Programs.
“This evening, police in Fort Irwin, Calif., arrested Kisean Anderson, aka Sean Kingston without incident on a Broward Sheriff’s Office arrest warrant for numerous fraud and theft charges,” the Broward Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “According to investigators, he will be booked into jail in San Bernardino, Calif.”
Earlier on May 23, a SWAT team raid Kingston’s rented mansion in Southwest Ranches, a wealthy suburb of Fort Lauderdale, according to NBC 6 Miami.
Kingston’s mother Janice Turner, 61, was taken into custody and booked on fraud and theft charges after officers served a search warrant on the 14,000-square foot home.
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Before he was arrested, Kingston posted a statement about the Florida raid on his Instagram Story.
“People love negative energy!” he wrote. “I am good, and so is my mother! … My lawyers are handling everything as we speak.”
The raid came in connection with a lawsuit over stolen goods. The news station reported Kingston was sued for “allegedly not paying for purchased items, including a 232-inch TV that Kingston was seen posing in front of in a picture.”
Attorney Dennis Card, who is representing plaintiff Ver Ver Entertainment, talked to reporters outside the house during the raid. Card alleged Kingston has a history of “systematic fraud.”
“He likes having bling, he likes showing off, he’s a showman,” Card said. “My client has a $150,000 television sound system that’s in there, there’s also about $1 million worth of watches that are in there, there’s a $80,000 custom bed that was ordered. This is an organized systematic fraud.”
The Associated Press reported Ver Ver Entertainment’s lawsuit said Kingston had the company install the expensive TV system in his home without paying off the bill. The lawsuit alleged the artist told the company he and Bieber would do commercials for them in exchange for a lower down payment and store credit.
Kingston is a Jamaican-American performer who was discovered on YouTube in the early 2000s.
Born in Miami, the rapper and singer is best known for his 2007 No. 1 single “Beautiful Girls.” His other hit songs included the 2010 singles “Eenie Meenie” featuring Justin Bieber and “Letting Go (Dutty Love)” featuring Nicki Minaj. Kingston’s music career faded in 2011, after he was injured in a near-fatal jet ski accident.
According to the AP, Kingston is no stranger to law enforcement. Citing Florida Department of Corrections records, the news agency said he is currently on two-years probation for trafficking stolen property.
