Carmine Agnello, the grandson of infamous mob boss John Gotti, has received a two-month reprieve from his 15-month prison sentence for a $1.1 million COVID-19 relief fraud. The delay is contingent upon his donation of a kidney to his ailing mother, Victoria Gotti. U.S. District Judge Nusrat Choudhury granted the extension on Friday, allowing Agnello to postpone his surrender date to September 18, provided the transplant surgery is completed as scheduled on August 3.
Agnello, 39, had been slated to begin his sentence on Monday. He pleaded guilty in 2024 to defrauding the Small Business Administration by misappropriating $1.1 million in Economic Injury Disaster Loans intended for businesses impacted by the pandemic. He used these funds to invest in cryptocurrency.
Victoria Gotti, 63, suffers from end-stage renal disease and requires a kidney transplant. According to Agnello's legal team, her son's kidney is a match. The judge expressed hope for a successful procedure for both mother and son, stating that if the transplant does not proceed as planned, Agnello is due to report to prison by August 10.
Federal prosecutors had argued against granting the delay, asserting that Agnello could donate a kidney while incarcerated. Victoria Gotti, who was a star of the reality television show "Growing Up Gotti" in 2004, had written to the court prior to her son's April sentencing, describing his donation as a "GIFT OF LIFE."
In addition to his prison term, Agnello has been ordered to pay $1.2 million in restitution. He grew up in a family with significant ties to organized crime, with 15 relatives, including his grandfather John Gotti, having served prison time. John Gotti, a prominent Gambino crime family boss, was convicted of racketeering in 1992 and died in prison in 2002.