NEW YORK — 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 Calvin Darden Jr. of cheating Howard — who had been one of the NBA’s most dominant players in his prime — out of $7 million in a bogus scheme to buy the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.
The 50-year-old Atlanta resident was also found guilty of bilking $1 million from former NBA forward Parsons in a separate ruse involving the development of then-NBA prospect James Wiseman.
A Manhattan federal court judge on Thursday ordered Darden to forfeit $8 million, as well as several luxury items he acquired with the ill-gotten gains, including a $3.7 million Atlanta mansion, $600,000 in artwork by Jean-Michel Basquiat, a Lamborghini and a Rolls-Royce.
Lawyers for Darden, who wasn’t present in court when the sentence was handed down, declined to comment.
Darden was allowed to leave the proceedings after waiving his right to be present and telling the…
