Sean Kingston was taken into custody after his legal team failed to produce $100,000 in cash required to maintain his bond agreement.
Sean Kingston was ordered into federal custody on April 10 after a judge ruled his legal team failed to deliver a key part of his bond—$100,000 in cash—derailing his attempt to remain on house arrest ahead of sentencing.
The 34-year-old singer, whose legal name is Kisean Paul Anderson, appeared before U.S. District Judge David S. Leibowitz for a brief 20-minute hearing where his defense admitted they couldn’t meet the financial terms required to keep him out of jail.
Despite efforts to secure the funds through family members, the cash portion of the bond remained unpaid.
Kingston had been convicted of federal wire fraud on March 28 and was previously allowed to remain at home under electronic monitoring.
That arrangement hinged on a layered bond agreement: a $200,000 cash bond, a $500,000 personal surety bond backed by real estate and other compliance conditions.
AllHipHop broke the news: the structure started to crumble when the original surety, Marlene Turner, was removed after her property was deemed insufficient. She was replaced by Rick Appling, a relative who owns three properties free of liens.
His affidavit was accepted by the court without objection from prosecutors. Still, the missing $100,000 in cash proved fatal to the deal.
With that, Judge Leibowitz ordered Kingston into the custody of the United States Marshals Service.
Kingston’s sentencing is scheduled for July 11, 2025. His mother, Janice Turner, is also behind bars following her conviction in the same fraud case.
Prosecutors allege the two orchestrated a scheme involving fake wire transfers to obtain over $1 million in luxury goods, including high-end cars, jewelry and electronics.
Each count of wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Kingston will remain in federal custody until his sentencing date this summer.
