A Georgia businessman, Calvin Darden Jr., has been sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison after scamming NBA stars Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons out of millions of dollars.
The ruling came from a Manhattan federal court on Thursday, wrapping up a fraud case that shook the sports world.
Darden, 50, was found guilty in October of wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. He was convicted of tricking Howard into giving him $7 million for what turned out to be a fake investment in purchasing the WNBA's Atlanta Dream, AP News said.
Howard, an eight-time NBA All-Star, told the court he believed he was buying a stake in the team — only to find out in 2021 through ESPN that the team had been sold to someone else.
The court also found that Darden defrauded former NBA player Chandler Parsons out of $1 million. Darden, along with a sports agent, convinced Parsons the money would support the career development of James Wiseman, who was then a rising basketball prospect.
However, prosecutors revealed that Darden and the agent had no connection to Wiseman, and the player had never agreed to work with them.
Georgia man who swindled Dwight Howard gets 12 years in prison
— Good Gas Central (@GoodGasCentral) April 3, 2025
A Georgia businessman who scammed former NBA players Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons out of millions of dollars was sentenced Thursday to more than 12 years in federal prison.
A Manhattan jury in October convicted… pic.twitter.com/C3m6s3hmds
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Scammer Ordered to Forfeit $8M and Luxury Goods
As part of the sentencing, Darden must forfeit $8 million and several luxury items purchased with stolen funds.
According to BleacherReport, these include a $3.7 million mansion in Atlanta, $600,000 in rare artwork by Jean-Michel Basquiat, a Lamborghini, and a Rolls-Royce.
Darden was not in court when the sentence was announced. He had waived his right to be present, claiming to have suffered a concussion while in custody. His lawyers declined to comment on the ruling.
This is not Darden's first time facing prison time. He previously served a year in federal prison for pretending to be his father, a former UPS executive, in an attempt to buy Maxim magazine.
Dwight Howard was the top pick in the 2004 NBA Draft and won a championship with the Lakers in 2020. Chandler Parsons played nine seasons in the NBA before retiring.
The Atlanta Dream, which Darden pretended to buy, was once co-owned by former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler. The team changed ownership in 2021 amid public criticism of Loeffler's views on social justice.
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