Trump Appointees Stopped Brooklyn Inquiry Into Gentile Commutation
Reporting showed investigators had gathered jailhouse messages about multimillion-dollar payments, which raises concerns about Justice Department independence.
Overview
- Brooklyn federal prosecutors opened an early-stage probe into how President Trump’s November commutation for David Gentile was obtained.
- Reporters say investigators collected jailhouse communications in which Gentile discussed paying $2.5 million or more to people or companies to help secure clemency.
- By May the inquiry was abruptly halted, and sources told reporters that Trump political appointees ordered the stop.
- Gentile was convicted in a $1.6 billion fraud that harmed thousands of mostly retail investors, and the commutation shortened a seven-year sentence to under two weeks while eliminating more than $15.5 million in forfeiture.
- The Justice Department said prosecutors work within enforcement priorities, named intermediaries including Rev. Frank Mann have denied wrongdoing, and the coverage ties the episode to wider reporting on a paid 'pardon industry' and its effects on victims and accountability.