Georgia businessman Calvin Darden Jr. was convicted Friday on five counts by a federal jury in Manhattan of defrauding former NBA players Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons of a combined $8 million in 2021.
Prosecutors said they will push for Calvin Darden Jr. to serve between 11 and 14 years in prison
Darden was found guilty of fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, and two different conspiracy counts. The case was decided in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Howard testified against Darden during the trial. In fact, the jury took five hours to reach the verdict after a two-week trial.
Prosecutors have said they will push for Darden to serve between 11 and 14 years in prison, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Furthermore, Darden was involved in multiple schemes with former NBA agent Charles Briscoe. Of course, Briscoe pleaded guilty to his role in the case last year.
Briscoe received three months of home detention and three years of supervision for one count of wire fraud in November 2023.
Dwight Howard sent Darden a $7 million payment as part of an effort to buy the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream
Prosecutors presented evidence that Howard sent Darden a $7 million payment for what the former All-Star thought was intended to purchase the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.
The jury was presented evidence that Darden used $6.1 million of Howard’s $7 million on two cars, including a Lamborghini. Darden also spent $110,000 on a piano and $90,000 on watches.
The Georgia businessman spent another $500,000 for home upgrades, in addition to hundreds of thousands of dollars on art. He purchased a $3.7 million home in Atlanta as well.
Additionally, Chandler Parsons was tricked into a fraudulent investment in the development of the career of former No. 2 draft pick James Wiseman. Parsons did not testify in the trial.
Darden’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 27, until which the judge ruled he will remain free on bail
According to Law360’s Pete Brush, Darden’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 27. Until then, the judge ruled he will remain free on bail “with strict limits on internet usage.”
Prosecutors plan to seize assets including his home in Atlanta, per The Associated Press’ Larry Neumeister. Darden was also convicted of a multimillion fraud scheme in 2016.
In 2025, a former Morgan Stanley financial adviser, Darryl Cohen, is set to stand trial as part of a scheme that the government alleges defrauded Boston Celtics star Jrue Holiday among others.
