Securities Lawyers Blog
On December 1, 2025, the IBTimes published a story covering the controversial commutation of David Gentile, the convicted leader of the massive purported Ponzi scheme spun out of GPB Capital. Gentile had defrauded thousands of investors—raising roughly $1.6 billion on false promises of reliable returns. He began serving a seven-year sentence just two weeks before the commutation granted by Donald Trump released him after only 12 days.
IBTimes quoted me in reaction to the commutation. I said:
“The stories we have heard are heartbreaking. It is simply unbelievable that someone responsible for such widespread investor harm could receive a commutation. This was never about politics. This man belongs in prison.”
My statement reflects more than outrage. For investors who lost life savings, trusts, retirement funds or college nest eggs, the commutation represents a profound blow to accountability and to faith in our financial-criminal justice system. Many will never fully recover.
While criminal prosecution and sentencing serve a vital role in punishing wrongdoing, they rarely offer full restitution or restore what was lost. The real pathway for recovery often lies through civil litigation or arbitration. That is where firms like mine, Gana Weinstein LLP, come in. We have built a nationwide practice committed to holding firms and advisors accountable when misconduct occurs, especially in complex alternative-investment cases like GPB, REITs, structured notes, and private offerings.
We have recovered more than $475 million for harmed investors across hundreds of cases. We know from experience that these frauds often devastate families, derail retirements, and destroy trust—not only in an individual advisor, but in the financial system as a whole.
The Gentile commutation should send a signal. Not to potential criminals. Not to wronged investors. Rather, it must reinforce to everyone — investors, brokers, and regulators — that civil remedies remain available, necessary, and powerful. That real justice for victims does not begin and end with a prison sentence.
If you or someone you know lost money following a sale of alternative investments, non-traded REITs, oil & gas funds, or similar products, you may still have a viable claim. I encourage you to reach out for a confidential evaluation.