Trump Commuted David Gentile’s Sentence. His Victims Are Seething.

The firm sold itself as private equity for Main Street, drawing nearly $2 billion mostly from everyday Americans seeking to increase their portfolios for retirement, even as prosecutors said its executives were using the money to fund lavish lifestyles.
So when President Trump last month freed David Gentile, the convicted fraudster who ran the firm, GPB Capital, just days into a seven-year sentence, it was another bitter pill for the thousands of people fighting to get back their money.
The commutation of Mr. Gentile’s sentence undid years of work by prosecutors in Brooklyn to expose a scheme that defrauded thousands of investors, many of whom were older Americans living on fixed incomes. It raised questions among the victims and others involved in the case about why Mr. Gentile was given a second chance and what it meant for those he cheated.
“I’m a senior citizen,” said Catherine Kominos, 66, and a retired engineer in Virginia who said she invested $50,000 with GPB. “I need that money. It’s not like I’m a jet setter or a wealthy person.”
Mr. Gentile, 59, was convicted in August 2024 of securities and wire fraud charges by a jury that deliberated for just four hours. He reported to prison on Nov. 14 and was released 12 days later after Mr. Trump’s commutation.
The release is among the more puzzling examples of how Mr. Trump has eschewed the Justice Department’s process and guidelines for recommending worthy clemency applicants who have served their time or demonstrated remorse and have a low likelihood of recidivism.
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