Statement on the 'FBI Informant' Memo
Guy Gentile's response to the privately circulated memo about his federal cooperation — what the memo leaves out, and what the court record actually shows.
Updated June 16, 2026
Cooperation with federal authorities is lawful. The memo treats it as the opposite.
A privately circulated memo continues to surface in Google results for my name. It characterizes lawful, court-supervised federal cooperation as if it were wrongdoing. It is not. Cooperation with the FBI and the Department of Justice is a recognized process — used in every district in the country — and it was addressed in open court in the District of New Jersey.
The federal case to which the memo refers was dismissed by Chief Judge Jose L. Linares in January 2017 on Sixth Amendment grounds. The Government did not appeal. I have never been convicted of a crime. I have never been found to have committed fraud. I have never been barred from the securities industry. The memo is litigation marketing from a private law firm in an adverse matter — not a finding of any court, agency, or regulator.
— Guy Gentile
Five facts the memo omits
- 01
Cooperation with federal authorities is lawful.
Cooperation with the FBI and DOJ is not a crime. It is a recognized, court-supervised process used by hundreds of witnesses every year. The memo treats lawful cooperation as if it were misconduct; the law treats it as the opposite.
- 02
The cooperation was disclosed in open court.
The fact and scope of cooperation were addressed in federal court filings and on the record in the District of New Jersey. There was no secret. There was no concealment from the tribunal.
- 03
That cooperation contributed to a 2017 dismissal — of the case against me.
In January 2017, Chief Judge Jose L. Linares dismissed the federal indictment for pre-indictment delay (Sixth Amendment). The Government did not appeal. The dismissal was a ruling on the merits of the delay, not a side benefit of cooperation — but the underlying cooperation is part of the public record the court considered.
- 04
No conviction. No fraud finding. No bar.
Guy Gentile has never been convicted of a crime. He has never been found to have committed fraud. He has not been barred from the securities industry. The memo's tone does not match the record.
- 05
The memo is litigation marketing, not a court filing.
The memo was authored by a private law firm in connection with adverse litigation. It is advocacy. It is not a finding of any court, agency, or regulator.
The record
- July 2012
FBI arrests Guy Gentile in New Jersey. Cooperation with federal authorities begins.
- 2012–2015
Cooperation continues under federal supervision.
- March 2016
DOJ files a new indictment (Crim. No. 16-155, D.N.J.) on the same conduct from 2012.
- January 2017
Chief Judge Jose L. Linares dismisses the federal indictment for pre-indictment delay. The Government does not appeal.
- 2017–2026
No conviction. No bar. No fraud judgment.
Primary sources
- ·Bloomberg — Brokerage Owner Wins Dismissal of $17M Indictment (Jan 31, 2017)
- ·Reuters — SEC Informant-Turned-Defendant Loses Contempt Case (Mar 30, 2022)
- ·FINRA BrokerCheck — Guy Gentile (CRD #2960715)
Published for informational and commentary purposes. Not legal advice.