SOUTHWEST RANCHES, Fla. — Rapper and singer Sean Kingston’s Southwest Ranches house in Broward County, Florida was raided by a SWAT team Thursday morning.
According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the raid took place following an investigation in Dania Beach, according to The Tampa Bay Times.
Update 7:34 a.m. ET May 24: Kingston was arrested in California on Thursday.
The sheriff’s office said he was arrested without incident in Fort Irwin, an Army Base in the High Desert, on a Florida warrant, according to The Associated Press.
He was being held in California pending extradition to Florida.
Robert Rosenblatt, an attorney representing Kingston and his mother, told the AP, “we are aware of some of the allegations,” adding, “We look forward to addressing these in court and are confident of a successful resolution for Sean and his mother.”
Kingston is on two years’ probation for trafficking stolen property. His mother, Janice Turner, pleaded guilty in 2006 to bank fraud for taking more than $160,000, serving 1.5 years in prison.
Turner was being held at the Broward jail on $160,000 bond, the AP reported.
— Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Original report: A spokesperson with the sheriff’s office, Carey Codd, said in a news release obtained by the Times that Janice Turner, 61, was arrested during the raid on “numerous fraud and theft charges.” Turner was identified as Kingston’s mother, Rolling Stone reported.
Attorney Dennis Card, who represents Ver Ver Entertainment, told WTVJ that the raid was in connection with a lawsuit filed by the company claiming that Kingston never paid for items he purchased.
Ver Ver Entertainment reportedly installed a 232-inch home theater and audio system last December into his house. According to the lawsuit, obtained by The Tampa Bay Times, Kingston allegedly made a $30,000 down payment but did not pay the rest.
“He likes having bling, he likes showing off, he’s a showman,” Card said, according to WTVJ. “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.”
Kingston released a brief statement on his Instagram story following the raid, according to WTVJ.
“People love negative energy! I am good and so is my mother!.. my lawyers are handling everything as we speak,” Kingston said.
Kingston’s real name is Kisean Paul Anderson, according to WPLG. He was born in Miami and moved to Jamaica when he was six. He moved back to South Florida for high school.
Kingston is known for his hit single “Beautiful Girls,” which came out in 2007, according to WTVJ. He has also worked with artists including Justin Bieber and Soulja Boy.
Kingston was injured in May 2011 when a personal watercraft he was riding hit a bridge that connected Palm Island with the MacArthur Causeway, according to the news outlet.
It is not clear if Kingston is facing any charges. He was not home at the time of the raid, WFOR reported.
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