NYC Gazette

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, has announced the conviction of Calvin Darden Jr. for defrauding former NBA players Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons out of $8 million. The verdict was delivered after an 11-day jury trial presided over by U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated: “Calvin Darden, Jr. exploited the trust of former NBA players Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons, using elaborate lies and deception to line his own pockets with millions. This conviction serves as a stark reminder that financial deceit will not be tolerated. This Office remains committed to pursuing those who exploit others, and we will work tirelessly to ensure that justice is served.”

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Darden Jr.'s scheme involved deceiving Howard into sending him $7 million under the pretense of purchasing the Atlanta Dream, a team in the Women's National Basketball Association. Darden Jr., with assistance from Charles Briscoe, Howard's agent, provided a "Vision Plan" that falsely claimed endorsements from celebrities and companies like Tyler Perry, Issa Rae, Naomi Osaka, Aflac, and Starbucks.

Darden Jr., impersonating his prominent businessman father ("Relative-1"), directed Howard to transfer funds to a shell company he controlled. Instead of purchasing the Dream, Darden Jr. used the money for personal luxuries including a mansion worth $3.7 million and several luxury cars.

Howard only discovered he did not own the Dream when ESPN reported its sale to another party.

In another fraudulent act against Parsons, Darden Jr. obtained $1 million by falsely claiming it was intended as a loan for James Wiseman—a prospect in the 2020 NBA draft—while fabricating documents asserting Wiseman had agreed Briscoe would be his agent.

Darden Jr.'s history includes previous fraud convictions in New York state in 2005 and again in 2015 involving similar schemes such as an alleged purchase of Maxim magazine.

Calvin Darden Jr., aged 50 from Atlanta, Georgia, was convicted on multiple counts including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud which carry significant maximum sentences ranging from 20 to 30 years each.

The statutory maximum sentence is prescribed by Congress but will ultimately be determined by Judge Broderick during sentencing scheduled for January 27th next year at 11:00 a.m.

Mr. Williams acknowledged the FBI's exceptional work on this case being prosecuted by Assistant U.S Attorneys Kevin Mead, Brandon C Thompson along with William C Kinder under their Complex Frauds & Cybercrime Unit initiative.