Calvin Darden Jr., a man who scammed Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons, has been sentenced to over 12 years in a federal prison.
He’s a businessman from Georgia, Atlanta who sold Howard on a bogus scheme to buy the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. Howard paid him $7M to fund what he thought was an investment.
Darden Jr. was also found guilty of bilking $1M from Parsons for another scam involving NBA player James Wiseman’s development.
Wiseman was the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft after Anthony Edwards. He played for the Indiana Pacers this season before being traded to the Toronto Raptors. He was waived shortly thereafter.
When Howard spoke at trial, he revealed that he only learned he wouldn’t be owning the Dream when seeing the news. ESPN reported that the Dream had been sold to an investor group in 2021 that Howard wasn’t a part of.
During his NBA career, Howard became an eight-time All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Parsons played in the NBA for nine seasons across Houston, Dallas, Memphis, and Atlanta.
Atlanta Businessman Pays Price For Cheating
As a result of the lost trial, Darden Jr. has been ordered to pay $8M back, as well as several luxury items he acquired with the money. The items include an Atlanta mansion worth $3.7M, $600,000 worth of artwork by Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Two cars have also been claimed, a Rolls-Royce and a Lambhorghini. Darden Jr.’s lawyers declined to comment.
The decision was confirmed in Manhattan by a federal court judge.
Howard, Parsons Join List of Scammed NBA Players
Other notable players who have been scammed include Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and Kawhi Leonard.
Garnett was scammed for an alleged $77M over the course of several years by financial advisor Charles A. Banks IV and accountant Michael Wertheim. The former Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics legend filed a civil lawsuit which was settled out of court in 2021.
Duncan was also scammed by Banks IV, for an estimated $25M.
Banks IV received four years in prison in 2017.
Leonard is believed to have been scammed of approximately $500,000 by a financial advisor.
