Former NBA star Dwight Howard testified before a Manhattan federal jury on Thursday, accusing an Atlanta businessman of tricking him into investing $7 million under false pretenses. Howard, an eight-time NBA All-Star, claimed he was duped into believing the money would be used to purchase a women’s basketball franchise, only to discover that it was spent on the businessman’s personal expenses.
NBA Star Duped By Ga Businessman : Investment Gone Wrong
Howard recounted how his former agent, Charles Briscoe, introduced him to Calvin Darden Jr. in 2020. Howard said he trusted Briscoe’s introduction and believed Darden’s claims about facilitating a purchase of the Atlanta Dream, a WNBA team. “I wanted to purchase a WNBA team,” Howard told the jury, referring to the Dream, which was reportedly for sale at the time.
However, Howard soon realized he had been misled. “I got a slap in the face,” he told the jury when asked what he received for his $7 million investment. Darden Jr. allegedly used the funds to finance a lavish lifestyle, including the purchase of a $3.7 million Atlanta mansion, a koi pond, art, and a Rolls-Royce.
Fraud Allegations Against Darden Jr.
Darden Jr., who previously pled guilty in an unrelated fraud case in 2014, is accused of conspiring to defraud Howard. Prosecutors allege that Darden presented Howard with fake documents and invoked the names of prominent figures, including NFL quarterback Lamar Jackson, filmmaker Tyler Perry, and actress Issa Rae, to make the investment opportunity appear legitimate. Rae briefly testified on Wednesday, stating she had never met Darden Jr. and did not give permission to use her name.
