What is david gentile's educational background and prior work experience?
Executive summary
David Gentile is the founder and former CEO of GPB Capital Holdings, a New York-based investment adviser that raised roughly $1.6 billion from retail investors; he built his career as an accountant/advisor before founding GPB in 2013 and was convicted in August 2024 on securities and wire fraud charges related to that firm [1] [2] [3]. Public profiles list a Queens College undergraduate background in finance and accounting and describe roughly 25 years at a corporate advisory and accounting practice (Gentile Pismeny & Brengel) before GPB, though formal degree details appear mainly in private bios and business directories [4] [5] [6].
1. From accountant to private‑equity founder — the career arc that matters
Public reporting and official filings identify Gentile as the founder, owner and former CEO of GPB Capital Holdings, which he launched in 2013 and which served as general partner to several funds marketed to largely retail investors [1]. Profiles and his own biographical pages say he spent about 25 years in the corporate advisory and accounting practice of Gentile Pismeny & Brengel, where he provided financial and strategic advisory services to companies across private and public markets before forming GPB [5] [4]. Bloomberg’s corporate profile also lists him as former CEO/founder of GPB Capital [6].
2. Education: Queens College appears repeatedly in directory entries
Business directories and Gentile’s profiles list Queens College as the institution where he studied finance and accounting, with a BBS cited in at least one directory entry (Crunchbase and other bios) [4]. These entries are consistent across multiple business-oriented platforms, but available sources do not include a contemporaneous university transcript, press release, or independent academic verification beyond those profile listings [4] [6].
3. GPB Capital: the venture that defined his résumé — and legal trouble
Gentile’s public identity is inseparable from GPB. The Justice Department’s Eastern District of New York unambiguously describes him as GPB’s founder, owner and CEO and ties his conviction to practices at the firm — notably marketing funds and working with a marketing firm, Ascendant Capital — that prosecutors said formed a years‑long scheme to defraud more than 10,000 investors [1]. DOJ and court filings specify GPB was registered with the SEC and raise the firm’s centrality to Gentile’s work history [1] [3].
4. Conviction, sentence and immediate aftermath: how recent events reshape his résumé
A federal jury convicted Gentile in August 2024 of securities fraud, conspiracy and wire fraud; he was sentenced in May 2025 to seven years in prison and ordered to pay restitution, though a presidential commutation in late November 2025 erased the prison term and the $15.5 million restitution tied to that sentence [1] [3] [7]. Reporting emphasizes that Gentile’s career accomplishments and public business profile are now viewed through the prism of those convictions and the alleged $1.6 billion fundraising total at issue [3] [2].
5. Public profiles vs. official records — where sourcing diverges
Most publicly cited educational and career details come from business directories, company bios and Gentile’s own profiles (Crunchbase, About.me, Bloomberg), which list Queens College and his long tenure in accounting/advisory practice [4] [5] [6]. The Department of Justice and federal court materials focus on his role running GPB and the criminal charges and therefore provide a different kind of record — authoritative for legal history but less detailed about academic credentials or early‑career postings [1] [3]. Available sources do not mention additional academic degrees, honors, or a detailed CV beyond those business bios.
6. Competing narratives and why they matter to readers
Company and directory bios present Gentile as a finance practitioner turned private‑equity founder with long accounting-industry roots [4] [5]. Federal prosecutors portrayed him as the mastermind of a multi‑year fraud that harmed thousands and imperiled about $1.6 billion in investor funds [1] [3]. The White House framed the commutation as a check on alleged “weaponization” of the Justice Department, a political interpretation cited in news accounts [7] [8]. Readers should weigh career claims rooted in self‑published or corporate materials against the DOJ’s factual findings and the jury verdict documented in court records [1] [3].
Limitations: This profile uses only the provided reporting and directory entries; available sources do not include independent academic transcripts, personnel records from Gentile Pismeny & Brengel, or Gentile’s full CV, so some early‑career and education details rest on business bios and public directories [4] [5].