What do you do when your headlining act is convicted of fraud — and facing decades in prison — just a week before his performance?  

That was the question being asked at Maricopa City Hall over the weekend. This Friday, rapper Sean Kingston is billed to take the stage at Wild West Music Festival, the marquee event meant to put Maricopa on the map of regional events.

Last Friday, 35-year-old Kingston found out he might be old enough to live in Province by the time he sees daylight again.

“SLE is working on it and will share an update as soon as they have one,” said Maricopa Community Enrichment Director Quinn Konold when asked Saturday if Kingston is still due to perform.

NBC News reported Kingston was sentenced to house arrest and electronic monitoring. The court told him he must post a surety bond of a home valued at $500,000 and $200,000 in cash.

Kingston’s mother, Janice Turner, was taken into federal custody, where she was ordered to remain until sentencing. 

It puts Kingston’s appearance at the Wild West Music Festival in question. InMaricopa contacted the City of Maricopa, Steve Levine Entertainment promoters and Kingston’s attorney today for an update on his appearance at the festival.  

Kingston, real name Kisean Paul Anderson, and Turner were indicted last July in a federal wire fraud scheme. Federal prosecutors said Kingston “used his celebrity status” to scam businesses out of high dollar items without paying for them. 

A federal jury in the Southern District of Florida found Kingston guilty Friday on five felony counts, including conspiracy and wire fraud. 

The prosecutors alleged that from April 2023 to March 2024, Kingston and Turner used false wire transfer documents to have luxury vehicles, watches and electronics delivered. They texted fraudulent payment confirmations and then cut off communication with the vendors, according to the indictment, which was obtained by InMaricopa.

Kingston, known for hits like 2007’s “Beautiful Girls,” was found guilty on all five counts in the indictment. Each conviction carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the amount of financial loss caused.  

The fraudulent activity reportedly included a forged $480,000 wire for luxury watches and a fake $285,000 payment for another timepiece. The wire fraud spans multiple states, including Georgia, Texas and Missouri. 

Sentencing for Kingston is expected July 11, according to NBC News.