In a shocking twist that further demonstrates the long arm of the law in high-profile financial crime cases, Janice Turner, the mother of R&B artist Sean Kingston, has been given a request to stand with her son for his sentencing, which has been summarily denied.
Turner and Kingston were both previously found guilty in a multi-million-pound fraud case that made national headlines earlier this year. The feds say the pair hatched a plot to obtain high-end items and services with Sean Kingston’s star power. The two conspired to create OP, and they fabricated wire transfers and forged financial documents to convince vendors that they were more financially secure than they were and to receive high-end goods and services from other businesses without upfront payment, prosecutors said.
This week, however, the legal narrative turned to the emotional fallout. Janice Turner requested to change her sentencing date from July 11 to August 15, the day her son was sentenced. Her application for “victim participation” was believed to be based on a need to be present with Kingston and some other family members on what is sure to be one of his most important days in a courtroom, a visible display of family unity in the face of prison terms that can potentially last several decades. But U.S. District Judge David S. Leibowitz was resolute, denying the motion. The court’s position was clear as emotional ties, however strong, could not trump due process and scheduling rules for severe criminal cases. Her sentencing will still be held on July 11.
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This ruling may seem procedural on its face, but it’s instructive for how the court views the gravity of the charges. Legal experts suggested that the judge’s decision not to concede to Turner’s request indicates the bench may take a strict approach to offenses involving the misuse of celebrity for fraud. Both Turner and Kingston will be eligible for a maximum of 20 years in jail, a reality that they are still coming to grips with.
Public interest in the case has already been high, partly because of Kingston’s celebrity and partly because of the details of the alleged con. According to court documents, the mother-son duo had used Kingston’s name and the illusion of his riches to avoid usual scrutiny around transactions. Their confidence game was so convincing that many suppliers extended the cabal credit or accepted payment later when, in fact, they were dealing with a financial house of cards. Although some fans have sympathized with the couple, viewing Turner’s request as a mother’s passionate plea, the legal system stood firm. In Judge Leibowitz’s court, emotional pleas could not replace justice.
Now, attention will be focused on July 11, when Turner will be sentenced, and August 15, when Kingston will receive his own sentence. With decades of prison possible, the stakes could not be higher. For Turner, the rejected plea represents a brutal emotional setback, just the latest fallout in a case already rife with private and public collateral damage. With sentencing just days away, Sean Kingston and Janice Turner are left to deal with the overwhelming reality of their conviction. Each now tries in vain to escape detection in the other’s company. What the once conniving duo had created is now unraveling into individual episodes of responsibility.
