by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE, Feb 2 – Calvin Darden Jr. was on trial for defrauding NBA player Dwight Howard to convince him he was buying the WNBA team the Atlanta Dream. Inner City Press is covering the trial. September 30 thread
Then, the conviction of CALVIN DARDEN, JR. for his role in defrauding former National Basketball Association players Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons out of $8 million. The defendant was found guilty following an 11-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick.
Sentencing was on April 3, 2025.
Inner City Press went. Darden was present, then at his request taken out by Marshals. Judge Broderick after argument sentenced him to 151 months, with Georgia requested.
On July 17 co-defendant Darryl Cohen wrote in waiving personal attendance in favor of telephone presence at a July 18 hearing.
On July 18 Judge Broderick set Cohen's trial date: "Minute Entry for proceedings held before Judge Vernon S. Broderick: . Defendant Darryl Cohen present remotely. The trial in this matter scheduled for September 23, 2025 is hereby adjourned to January 2026."
On January 23 Judge Broderick issued his initial description, of Cohen being charged with defrauding three players: Jrue Holiday, Chandler Parsons, and Courtney Lee.
On January 30, it was said Jrue Holiday would testify, as he was in town with the Trailblazers to play the Knicks. But to the end of the day it was an SDNY paralegal, reading into the record Cohen's texts about Nyjer Morgan. Then, with an anti-ICE protest in Foley Square, jurors were led out onto Pearl Street and told to turn right.
On Sunday Feb 1 the US Attorney's Office wrote in seeking reconsideration of restrictions on their direct examination of Jrue Holiday, 10 page filing on Patreon here
Early on February 2, Cohen's lawyers replied that "the Government has argued that the players did not know that Brian and Mark Gilder were associated with JBM—and in fact had already elicited testimony from Ms. Holiday to that effect, see, e.g., “Q: Before you and your husband agreed to buy the David Womack life insurance policy, did anyone tell you what JBM was? A. No. Q. Did anyone tell you who was in charge of JBM? A. No.”—but the Government’s exhibits show that Mark Gilder signed JBM documents as the JBM representative, see, e.g., GX415A. If the jury believed that Ms. Holiday did know Mark Gilder because she had used him" - filing on Patreon here.
More on X for Subscribers here and Substack here
The case is USA v. Cohen, et al., 1:23-cr-134 (Broderick)
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