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Behind closed doors, a pardon whispered: Donald Trump, in a move shrouded in controversy, quietly unshackled David Gentile. Once a titan of private equity, Gentile traded tailored suits for prison blues after orchestrating a scheme that fleeced thousands of everyday Americans. A seven-year sentence, fines, and restitution were meant to deliver justice. Now, those defrauded are left wondering if justice was served at all, or simply short-circuited by a former president’s pen.
Another day, another denied pardon for Sam Bankman-Fried, whose legal Hail Marys toward the President’s clemency keep falling short.
SBF’s pardon prospects? Don’t bet on it. Polymarket whispers a 2% chance, Kalshi clocks in at a meager 4% before year’s end. The market’s message is crystal clear: a pardon from the politician once fueled by his rival’s funds seems highly improbable.
SBF’s pardon odds. Source: Polymarket
David Gentile will keep the cash he cheated people out of
From Capitol rioters to reality TV royalty, Trump’s clemency pen has rewritten the narratives of numerous high-profile figures. The stroke of his pardon power has spared individuals like ex-congressman George Santos, entangled in a web of wire fraud and identity theft, and Binance’s Changpeng Zhao, convicted of money laundering. Even the glitzy world of reality television felt the impact, as financial crimes convictions against Todd and Julie Chrisley were swept away. Trump’s use of presidential clemency has sparked debate, raising questions about justice, power, and the destinies of those caught in its reach.
Of all the controversial pardons, the commutation of Gentile’s sentence sparked the fiercest outcry. The New York Times revealed the shocking detail: Gentile walked free after a mere 12 days served of his seven-year prison term.
Gentile didn’t walk away with a clean slate; instead of a pardon that wipes the slate clean, forgiving the crime and restoring rights, he received a commutation a mere shortening of his sentence, leaving the stain of conviction untouched.
But what makes this commutation truly remarkable? It wipes Gentile’s slate clean, absolving him of all remaining debts, restitution, and forfeiture. His victims will see no repayment, and he faces no further financial reckoning for his federal crimes.
GPB Capital, steered by founder and CEO Gentile, allegedly lured investors into a $1.6 billion mirage, built on the misrepresented triumphs of its private equity fund, according to prosecutors.
On December 1st, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt hinted at a dramatic twist in the case, suggesting the Justice Department under Biden may have wrongly branded it a Ponzi scheme. Furthermore, she alluded to unease surrounding potentially false testimony, throwing the entire prosecution into question.
Dodging questions about the victims, she dismissed the case as yet another instance of the previous administration’s justice system being weaponized – a matter already flagged for the President.
According to records from the Bureau of Prisons, Gentile was released on November 26, the day before Thanksgiving.
“David Gentile’s return home to his children is nothing short of a miracle,” declared Alice Marie Johnson, Trump’s former pardon advisor, on X. “Witnessing these acts of mercy underscores the profound potential within us all for redemption and second chances.”
SBF renews hopes for a pardon
Trump’s pardon power: a lifeline for crypto bros and MAGA loyalists. But could Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced FTX founder, snag a golden ticket? His billion-dollar fraud conviction and Biden-backing make him an unlikely candidate. Yet, against all odds, SBF reportedly still holds out hope.
While their son sat in jail, Stanford Law professors Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried waged a desperate campaign for his freedom. They navigated a labyrinth of Trumpworld insiders, courting figures like a lawyer who’d advised both Trump campaigns. In a surreal twist, they even managed to secure an interview with Tucker Carlson, who grilled SBF from behind bars in March 2025.
The defense is spinning the conviction as a politically motivated “witch hunt,” aiming to portray their client as a martyr targeted by the Biden administration – a playbook that previously boosted figures like David Gentile.
Bankman-Fried, now a prolific tweeter, is on a mission to convince the world that FTX wasn’t just salvageable, but thriving. His latest bombshell? A claim that lawyers squandered a golden opportunity to enrich global creditors by blocking FTX’s fire sale.
Adding to the surreal nature of SBF’s confinement, he reportedly shared a cell block with none other than Juan Orlando Hernández, the ex-President of Honduras. Imagine the conversations or lack thereof between the fallen crypto king and a leader serving a staggering 45-year sentence for drug trafficking and firearms charges. A prison block, indeed, makes for strange bedfellows.
Trump’s “justice” bombshell pardoning Hernandez and blasting a prosecutor-led “frame job” ignited a firestorm of reaction, including a cheer from an unexpected corner: SBF, whose X account, now commandeered by a friend, lit up with approval.
“Juan Orlando’s liberation is a cause for celebration; few are as deserving.” Thus declared SBF, painting a portrait of Hernández as “one of the kindest, most dedicated souls” he’d encountered. To call him a friend, SBF insisted, was an “honor,” even amidst “the worst possible circumstances,” a sentiment that demands a second look.
SBF’s charm offensive, a double dose of public praise for potential Trump pardons, first CZ, now Trump himself, appears to have fallen flat. Despite the convicted executive’s efforts, President Trump remains unmoved, and the betting markets are echoing the sentiment: a pardon is a long shot.
Thanks for reading Trump continues to overlook SBF as president issues fresh pardons
