The grandson of late mob boss John Gotti, who once starred in a reality TV show, has started serving a federal prison sentence. Carmine Agnello reported to the Federal Correctional Institution Fairton in New Jersey to begin his 15-month term. The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed his arrival. Initially scheduled to start his sentence in July, Agnello had his surrender delayed until September 18 by U.S. District Court Judge Nusrat Choudhury. This decision was to allow time for a kidney donation to his mother, Victoria Gotti, who suffers from chronic kidney disease.
Agnello’s plans to donate a kidney were questioned due to a lack of concrete evidence about the transplant’s timing. Judge Choudhury ordered Agnello’s immediate surrender after finding no signs of an impending surgery. “Because there is no concrete evidence that an organ transplant will be scheduled to take place at any time between today and Sept. 18, 2026, the request for another deferral of Mr. Agnello’s self-surrender is unjustified,” Choudhury stated. Agnello’s lawyer, Robert Beltrani, argued that surgeons required more time due to Gotti’s recurring infections. However, prosecutors emphasized the transplant was not imminent.
Agnello pleaded guilty in 2024 to wire fraud. Prosecutors charged him with fraudulently acquiring $1.1 million in loans from a federal program for small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. He applied for these loans under his company, Crown Auto Parts & Recycling LLC, by misrepresenting employee numbers, criminal history, and funding plans. Prosecutors revealed that his company had ceased operations before he sought the loan. The funds were used elsewhere, including a $420,000 investment in cryptocurrency.
Gaining fame as a teenager, Agnello appeared on “Growing Up Gotti,” featuring the Gotti family’s life on Long Island. John Gotti, known for his flamboyance and legal escapades, earned nicknames like “Teflon Don” and “Dapper Don.” He passed away in a federal prison in Missouri in 2002. The New Jersey prison now housing Agnello has been home to various notable inmates, including former New York Congressman George Santos. Santos’s sentence was shortened when President Donald Trump granted clemency.
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