A Georgia businessman who scammed former NBA gamers Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons out of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} was sentenced Thursday to greater than 12 years in federal jail.
A Manhattan jury in October convicted Calvin Darden Jr. of dishonest Howard — who had been one of many NBA’s most dominant gamers in his prime — out of $7 million in a bogus scheme to purchase the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.
The 50-year-old Atlanta resident was additionally discovered responsible of bilking $1 million from former NBA ahead Chandler Parsons in a separate ruse involving the event of then-NBA prospect James Wiseman.
A Manhattan federal court docket decide on Thursday ordered Darden to forfeit $8 million, in addition to a number of luxurious gadgets he acquired with the ill-gotten beneficial properties, together with a $3.7 million Atlanta mansion, $600,000 in paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat, a Lamborghini and a Rolls-Royce.
Legal professionals for Darden, who wasn’t current in court docket when the sentence was handed down, declined remark.
Darden was allowed to the go away the proceedings after waiving his proper to be current and telling the decide he had suffered a concussion final week whereas in custody, in response to the U.S. Lawyer for the Southern District of New York.
Howard testified in the course of the trial that Darden fooled him into giving him $7 million by convincing him that it was an funding towards the acquisition of the Dream.
However the eight-time All-Star and three-time NBA defensive participant of the 12 months acknowledged he solely realized he wasn’t an proprietor of the Dream when ESPN reported the group had been bought to an investor group that included former Dream guard Renee Montgomery in 2021.
Prosecutors stated Darden and a sports activities agent additionally conned Parsons into sending $1 million that was supposed to assist within the growth of James Wiseman, who was drafted by the Golden State Warriors because the second total decide within the 2020 NBA draft.
However the two did not know Wiseman, and the participant by no means agreed to be represented by the agent as they claimed to Parsons. Wiseman final performed for the Indiana Pacers earlier than being traded to the Toronto Raptors, who waived him earlier this 12 months.
Darden was finally convicted by a jury in October of wire fraud, financial institution fraud and cash laundering prices.
He was beforehand sentenced to a 12 months in federal jail in New York for impersonating his father, Cal Darden, a former government at Atlanta-based United Parcel Service, in a failed bid to purchase Maxim journal.
Howard performed for seven franchises after the Orlando Magic took him with the No. 1 total choice within the 2004 draft. He gained his lone NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers in the course of the pandemic-affected 2019-20 season.
Parsons had a nine-year NBA profession enjoying for Houston, Dallas, Memphis and Atlanta groups.
The Atlanta Dream had been as soon as co-owned by former Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, however she was pressured to promote after clashing with gamers over her opposition to the league’s racial justice initiatives.
This story was initially featured on Fortune.com
