Who is david gentile and what companies has he founded?

1. Who is David Gentile — the businessman at the center of the GPB scandal

David Gentile is identified in federal court filings and reporting as the founder, owner and chief executive officer of GPB Capital Holdings, LLC, a firm he established in 2013 to offer private-equity-style funds to individual investors ^{[1] [3]}. Prosecutors say Gentile and his partners raised roughly $1.6 billion and marketed regular monthly distributions as generated by portfolio company cash flow, a claim the government says was false in key respects ^{[3] [2]}.

2. Companies and vehicles he founded or led — GPB Capital and its focus

Available sources consistently name GPB Capital Holdings as Gentile’s firm; the Justice Department describes GPB as a New York–based registered investment adviser that ran multiple GPB funds presented as “income-producing” private equity for individual investors ^{[1] [3]}. Reporting says those funds held stakes in automotive, retail, healthcare and housing businesses — the sectors repeatedly cited in news accounts of the case ^{[2] [4]}.

3. Legal findings: convictions, the government’s theory and investor impact

A federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Gentile on conspiracy and fraud counts after finding that he and others misrepresented where monthly distributions came from and overstated revenue at several GPB funds; prosecutors say the scheme defrauded more than 10,000 investors ^[3]. The U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York and press accounts say roughly $1.6 billion was raised and many retirees, small-business owners and other individuals suffered losses ^{[3] [5]}.

4. Cleared? The White House defense and competing narratives

Following Gentile’s commutation, a White House official argued that GPB had disclosed in 2015 that investor capital might be used to pay dividends — a disclosure the administration says undercuts the government’s “Ponzi” characterization and was a factor in granting clemency ^{[2] [6]}. News outlets and advocacy voices frame the commutation differently: critics call it a gift to a white‑collar criminal and point to the scale of investor harm ^{[7] [5]}.

5. Other corporate players and related firms named in reporting

Reporting and the DOJ statement identify Ascendant Capital as the marketing and placement agent tied to GPB fund sales; its owner and CEO, Jeffry Schneider, was convicted alongside Gentile, illustrating that the case involved multiple firms and individuals in the fund-raising and distribution process ^{[1] [3]}.

6. What reporting does not show about Gentile’s corporate history

Available sources in this dataset focus on GPB Capital and the related trial; they do not report additional companies that Gentile personally founded beyond GPB Capital nor list a broader entrepreneurial résumé. If you are seeking other ventures or directorships, current reporting does not mention them (not found in current reporting).

7. Why this matters: investor protections and clemency politics

The case combines two areas of public concern: the mechanics of private-equity-style offerings sold to unsophisticated investors and the politics of presidential clemency. DOJ filings and trial findings emphasize investor harm and misrepresentation ^[3]. The White House defense emphasizes disclosure language and contests the government’s framing, while critics frame the commutation as signaling leniency for wealthy white‑collar defendants ^{[2] [7]}.

Limitations and sourcing note: this profile is drawn solely from the supplied reporting and Justice Department materials; citations are inline. Available sources establish Gentile’s central role at GPB Capital and summarize the criminal convictions and subsequent commutation, but they do not provide a comprehensive corporate CV beyond GPB ^{[3] [2] [1]}.