Recently, during a White House briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was caught off guard. A reporter questioned her on Donald Trump’s controversial decision to pardon David Gentile, a fraudster who exploited people to the tune of $1.6 billion. Leavitt couldn’t provide a solid answer and seemed confused, fumbling over the name of Gentile’s company throughout the exchange.
Not too long ago, Trump decided to pardon Gentile, who was serving a seven-year sentence for his actions as CEO of GPB Capital. This firm supposedly acted as a private equity option for regular folks, managing to rake in about $2 billion from everyday Americans eager to enhance their retirement funds. However, prosecutors revealed that instead of investing this money wisely, Gentile and his pals were using it for lavish lifestyles.
This pardon hit hard for many who’re desperately trying to reclaim their lost investments, especially older Americans surviving on fixed incomes, including veterans and educators. The decision really overshadowed years of hard work put in by Brooklyn prosecutors to uncover the fraudulent operations that hoodwinked thousands.
When a PBS reporter pressed Leavitt about Trump’s move to pardon Gentile, her responses fell flat. She awkwardly lounged on the fact that Trump gave Gentile a commutation and reiterated Gentile’s former CEO status at GPB—only she repeatedly mixed up the company name, hilariously calling it GBP instead of GPB.
In her failing defense, Leavitt claimed that similar to other companies, GPB had informed investors about the potential use of investor funds to cover some payouts instead of genuinely earning from their operations. Despite that, the Biden Department of Justice argued it was indeed a Ponzi scheme.
The Trump camp switched gears by arguing that the government had no solid evidence tying Gentile to any alleged fraud, despite the already substantial distrust surrounding these claims from the current administration. Leavitt further outrageously suggested that the conviction stemmed from the “weaponization of justice” by her boss’s opponents.
Meanwhile, people voiced their discontent on X (Twitter), with one commentator mocking that a person’s sentence seems to depend more on their closeness to Mar-a-Lago than the seriousness of their crimes. Another criticized the system saying it now grants first-class treatment for frauds and coach status for their victims.
The backlash against Leavitt didn’t surprise her onlookers, who remarked on how the White House seemed to instruct her to deliver pre-packaged statements lacking depth or clarity.
This investigation into Gentile was already ongoing during the previous administration, sparked back in 2019 under Trump. Pivotal in this case was Judge Rachel Kovner, at the helm during crucial court proceedings.
When tired of questions, Leavitt snapped back, promoting the idea that she’s previously detailed reasoning behind the commutation.
Ultimately, Gentile was found guilty in August 2024 for various charges, but just 12 days post-Trump’s commutation, he walked out of prison. Here’s the kicker: there’s barely any oversight on presidential pardons, meaning all convictions can vanish as if they never happened.
Questions still linger over Gentile’s ties to Trump or his cohorts and it’s unclear who really advocated for his commutation, leaving many skeptical of the justice system’s functions. Interestingly, it seems Gentile might dodge a hefty $15 million payout that federal authorities wanted him to forfeit as part of his punishment.
Notably, another of Gentile’s partners, Jeffry Schneider, wasn’t as fortunate—he was sentenced to six years in prison alongside Gentile. A third partner, Jeffrey Lash, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and testified against Gentile and Schneider, only to walk away with time served, highlighting the mixed results in this ongoing saga.
