A Florida judge sentenced Sean Kingston to 3.5 years in prison on Friday after a jury convicted him in March.
The government had requested five years for the “Beautiful Girls” singer.
Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, were convicted of defrauding Florida businesses of $1 million in luxury goods. Turner was sentenced to five years in prison last month.
U.S. District Judge David Leibowitz rejected Kingston’s plea for house arrest. Kingston’s lawyers argued that he should get house arrest rather than prison time for his crimes because “home confinement or house arrest is… a substantial punishment”.
Kingston, born Kisean Anderson, and Turner paid back most of the money they stole.
In court on Friday, Kingston apologized for his actions.
He was taken into custody immediately, despite his lawyers asking the judge to let him “self-surrender” at a later date.
They noted that Kingston has “never served prison time before” and that a “high sentence is not necessary to deter future conduct.”
