Singer and mother arrested after raid of Florida home

Singer Sean Kingston has been arrested in California, hours after a police raid of his Florida mansion, during which his mother was also arrested.

Mr Kingston was accused in February by a company of not fully paying for a huge TV and sound system.

US media report that he was taken into custody in Fort Irwin, southern California, on fraud and theft charges on a Florida warrant, according to police in the latter state.

In an earlier social media post, Mr Kingston said his lawyers were “handling everything”.

The earlier Florida police raid targeted a residence near Fort Lauderdale at which the singer – whose legal name is Kisean Anderson – was named as living in court documents from February.

US media – including the BBC’s partner CBS News – reported that the woman arrested was Mr Kingston’s mother.

Confirming the raid to the BBC, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said it served arrest and search warrants at the property.

“As a result of the investigation, an adult female, Janice Turner, 2/16/1963, was taken into custody on numerous fraud and theft charges.

“This investigation is active and ongoing.”

Officers were reportedly seen taking goods away from the house afterwards. It was not immediately clear whether the arrests were linked to the company’s allegations.

Mr Kingston’s own arrest hours later in southern California was without incident, police were quoted as saying by US media. The BBC has approached the Broward County Sheriff’s Office for further comment.

Mr Kingston and his mother, known on Instagram as Mama Kingston, have also been asked for a response.

Before his own arrest, Mr Kingston appeared to address the developments on his Instagram account.

“I am good and so is my mother,” the singer said in response to reports that the arrested woman was his mother.

“My lawyers are handling everything as we speak,” he added.

A lawyer representing the pair acknowledged that allegations had been made against them, telling the AP news agency: “We look forward to addressing these in court and are confident of a successful resolution.”

In court documents seen by the BBC, Ver Ver Entertainment claims Mr Kingston contacted the company over social media in September 2023 to purchase a “232-inch Colossal TV, coupled with a robust sound system”.

The company claims Mr Kingston “induced” the business to install the products with “as small a downpayment as possible” by making “numerous false representations”, including a suggestion that he would create promotional videos for the company with Justin Bieber.

Following the installation, the company says Mr Kingston failed to make the remaining payments and it sued him for breach of contract and fraud.

A lawyer representing Ver Ver Entertainment told Miami’s Local 10 news that the company was hoping to retrieve it from the house following the police raid.

“We know that our property is inside this house right here, so as soon as the raid takes place, we are going to have a crew of people in there to reassemble it and take it back to its rightful owner.”

Mr Kingston, 34, is known for hits such as Beautiful Girls, Fire Burning, and Eenie Meenie featuring Justin Bieber.