A Georgia businessman, involved in defrauding former NBA players Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons of millions, was sentenced to over 12 years in federal prison. In October, a Manhattan jury found Calvin Darden Jr. guilty of deceiving Dwight Howard, one of the NBA’s dominant figures in his prime, out of $7 million in a fraudulent scheme to acquire the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. The Atlanta resident, age 50, was also convicted of swindling $1 million from Chandler Parsons, a former NBA forward, in a separate scheme associated with the development of NBA prospect James Wiseman.
On Thursday, a federal judge in Manhattan ordered Darden to surrender $8 million, along with several luxury possessions he purchased with the deceived funds, which included a $3.7 million mansion in Atlanta, $600,000 worth of artwork by Jean-Michel Basquiat, a Lamborghini, and a Rolls-Royce.
Darden’s attorneys, who did not comment, confirmed that he was not present in the courtroom when his sentence was delivered. As per the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Darden had been excused from the proceedings after he waived his right to attend, citing a concussion sustained during his time in custody as the reason for his absence.
During the trial, Dwight Howard testified that Darden misled him into investing $7 million, under the false pretense that it was directed towards purchasing the Dream. Howard, an eight-time All-Star and a three-time NBA defensive player of the year, only discovered he was not an owner of the Dream following an ESPN report in 2021, which revealed that the team had been sold to an investment group including former Dream guard Renee Montgomery.
Prosecutors stated that Darden, along with a sports agent, duped Chandler Parsons into sending them $1 million purported to support the development of James Wiseman, who was later drafted as the second overall pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 2020 NBA draft. However, neither Darden nor the agent had any association with Wiseman, and the player never consented to being represented by them. Wiseman most recently played for the Indiana Pacers before being traded to the Toronto Raptors, who waived him earlier this year.
Darden’s convictions encompass charges of wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. He had previously served a year in federal prison in New York for posing as his father, Cal Darden—a former executive at United Parcel Service—in a failed attempt to acquire Maxim magazine.
Dwight Howard was drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic in 2004 and played for seven different teams, securing his sole NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers during the COVID-19 affected 2019-20 season. Chandler Parsons had a nine-year career in the NBA, playing for teams in Houston, Dallas, Memphis, and Atlanta.
The Atlanta Dream was once partially owned by former Republican U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler, who sold her stake following conflicts with players over her stance against the league’s racial justice initiatives.
