Georgia man Calvin Darden Jr. was convicted on Friday of defrauding former NBA stars Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons out of a combined $8 million.
The New York jury found Darden guilty on all five counts faced, including fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and two counts of conspiracy, per the Associated Press’ Larry Nemeister and Law360’s Pete Brush.
The case was decided in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Prosecutors have said they will push for Darden to serve between 11 and 14 years in prison, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Darden’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 27, until which the judge ruled he will remain free on bail “with strict limits on internet usage,” Brush reported. Prosecutors plan to seize assets including his home in Atlanta, per Nemeister.
Howard testified during the trial that he gave $7 million to Darden as part of a false scheme to purchase the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, per Nemeister.
The Dream sold in February 2021 to a separate group of investors. Prosecutors meanwhile presented evidence that Darden spent more than $6 million of Howard’s money on cars, a piano, watches and money toward a house, per Nemeister.
Parsons did not testify in the trial, but prosecutors speaking on his behalf told the jury he had been defrauded of $1 million in a false investment involving the development of James Wiseman. Wiseman, currently a player for the Indiana Pacers, was selected by the Golden State Warriors as the No. 2 pick of the 2020 draft.
Darden has been convicted of fraud multiple times in the past. He was sentenced to one year in prison in 2016 after cooperating with prosecutors in case involving a fraudulent attempt to buy Maxim.
Former NBA agent Charles Briscoe, accused by prosecutors of working with Darden to defraud Howard, pled guilty to wire fraud for his role in the scheme last year.
Former Morgan Stanley adviser Darryl Cohen has also been charged in the case. He is set to face trial next year for alleged fraud cases involving Parsons as well as former NBA player Courtney Lee and current Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday.
Howard played 18 seasons for seven NBA teams between 2004 and 2022. Parsons spent nine years in the NBA while playing for four teams between 2011 and 2020.
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