Former NBA player Dwight Howard’s interest in buying a stake in the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream turned into a nightmare. A businessman has been found guilty of defrauding the NBA star in the failed deal.
According to The Associated Press, a jury returned a guilty verdict against Calvin Darden, Jr. on Oct. 4 after Howard admitted in a New York City trial that he gave Darden $7 million, thinking it was going toward an investment into the WNBA team.
When sentencing is handed down next year, Darden may receive a prison sentence between 11 and 14 years.
The prosecutor said that the conman spent most of the $7 million, at least $6.1 million, received from the former Los Angeles Lakers player. He bought
two cars for $500,000, spent $110,000 on a piano, placed $765,000 as a down payment on a $3.7 million home, and purchased luxury watches for $90,000 while also spending another $500,000 in upgrades for his home. He also bought art for hundreds of thousands of dollars.Prosecutors plan to seize all of Darden’s assets, including his Atlanta home and the aforementioned items.
The alleged investment offered by Darden took place when the Dream owner, Atlanta former Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, was selling the team. In 2021, the team was sold to a three-member investor group, which included former player Renee Montgomery.
Darden was previously convicted after another scheme he was involved in landed him in trouble. Prosecutors revealed that Darden partnered with a sports agent to swindle former NBA forward Chandler Parsons. Darden influenced Parsons to send $1 million to aid in the development of current NBA player James Wiseman.
Howard did get his dream of owning a professional basketball team earlier this year when he announced that he had become part owner of a Taiwanese basketball league and one of its teams.