After a jury found Calvin Darden, Jr. guilty of bilking former NBA player Dwight Howard out of several million dollars, a Manhattan judge sentenced him to spend more than 12 years in prison.
According to The Associated Press, Darden, to whom Howard gave $7 million in a fake scheme to purchase a stake in the Atlanta Dream, has to forfeit $8 million. Along with the money, he has to return various luxury items he was able to obtain because of the illegal scheme, including a $3.7 million Atlanta mansion, $600,000 in artwork by Jean-Michel Basquiat, a Lamborghini, and a Rolls-Royce.
Former NBA player Chandler Parsons was also scammed by Darden, who bilked him for $1 million in a scheme involving then-NBA prospect James Wiseman.
A New York jury found him guilty on Oct. 4, 2024.
Prosecutors said the conman spent most of the money he received from Howard, at least $6.1 million. He purchased two luxury vehicles for $500,000, bought himself a piano for $110,000, and used $765,000 as a down payment on a $3.7 million home. He also purchased luxury watches for $90,000 and used $500,000 to upgrade his home. He also bought art for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The alleged investment offer from Darden to the recent Orlando Magic Hall of Famer took place when the former owner of the WNBA team, former Atlanta Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, was selling the team due to her views on racial injustice with a team that featured mostly minority players. In 2021, the team was sold to a three-member investor group, which included former player Renee Montgomery.
After the sale of the team, Howard discovered that Darden had scammed him.
Darden was previously convicted after another scheme he was involved in landed him in trouble. Prosecutors revealed that Darden partnered with a sports agent to swindle Parsons. Darden influenced Parsons to send $1 million to aid in the development of Wiseman, who the Toronto Raptors recently waived after being traded by the Indiana Pacers.
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