A Georgia businessman, Calvin Darden Jr., has been sentenced to over 12 years in federal prison for orchestrating a series of fraudulent schemes that swindled millions of dollars from former NBA stars Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons. The sentencing, handed down by a Manhattan federal court, marks the conclusion of a high-profile case that exposed the vulnerabilities of professional athletes to financial scams.
Darden, 50, was convicted of wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering after a jury found him guilty of defrauding Howard out of $7 million. The scam involved a bogus investment opportunity in the purchase of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. Howard, an eight-time NBA All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, testified during the trial that he believed the funds were being used to secure ownership of the team. However, he later discovered through media reports that the Dream had been sold to an entirely different investor group in 2021.
In a separate scheme, Darden also conned Chandler Parsons, a former NBA forward, out of $1 million. The funds were purportedly intended to support the development of then-NBA prospect James Wiseman. However, prosecutors revealed that Darden and his accomplices had no connection to Wiseman, who never agreed to be represented by them.
The court ordered Darden to forfeit $8 million, along with several luxury items he acquired using the stolen funds. These 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 extravagant lifestyle, funded by his fraudulent activities, was a focal point of the prosecution’s case.
This is not Darden’s first brush with the law. He previously served a year in federal prison for impersonating his father, a former UPS executive, in a failed attempt to purchase Maxim magazine. His history of high-profile scams underscores the importance of due diligence and financial literacy, particularly for public figures and athletes.
For Howard and Parsons, the financial losses are significant, but the emotional toll of betrayal is equally profound. Howard, who has played for seven NBA franchises and won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, expressed his disappointment during the trial. Parsons, who had a nine-year NBA career, also testified about the impact of the scam on his life and finances.
