Man found guilty of defrauding ex-NBA stars Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons out of $8 million | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

Calvin Darden Jr. of Georgia was found guilty Friday of defrauding former NBA stars Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons out of a total of $8 million.

According to Larry Nemeister of the Associated Press and Pete Brush of Law360, the New York jury found Darden guilty on all five counts, including fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and two counts of conspiracy.

The case was decided in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, prosecutors have said they will push for Darden to serve a prison sentence of between 11 and 14 years.

Darden's sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 27. Until that point, the judge ruled that he would remain free on bail, “with strict restrictions on internet use,” Brush reported. Nemeister said prosecutors plan to seize assets, including his home in Atlanta.

Howard testified during the trial that he gave $7 million to Darden as part of a bogus scheme to buy the WNBA's Atlanta Dream, Nemeister said.

The Dream was sold to a separate investor group in February 2021. Nemeister said prosecutors, meanwhile, presented evidence that Darden spent more than $6 million of Howard's money on cars, a piano, watches and money on a house.

Parsons did not testify at trial, but prosecutors speaking on his behalf told the jury that he was defrauded of $1 million through a bogus investment in James Wiseman's development. Wiseman, currently a player for the Indiana Pacers, was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft.

Darden has been convicted of fraud several times in the past. He was sentenced to a year in prison in 2016 for cooperating with prosecutors in a fraudulent purchase attempt case Maxim.

Former NBA agent Charles Briscoe, who was accused by prosecutors of working with Darden to defraud Howard, pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud for his role in the scheme.

Former Morgan Stanley advisor Darryl Cohen was also charged in the case. He is scheduled to go on 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.