Gotti Grandson Sentenced to 15 Months for $1.1M SBA Fraud

Carmine G. Agnello, the grandson of late Gambino crime family boss John Gotti, was sentenced Monday to 15 months in federal prison for defrauding the U.S. Small Business Administration out of $1.1 million in COVID-19 relief loans. The 40-year-old Queens resident, who appeared as a teenager on the A&E reality series "Growing Up Gotti," pleaded guilty in September 2024 to a single count of wire fraud after prosecutors detailed how he misused the funds for personal investments, including cryptocurrency.

The fraud occurred between April 2020 and November 2021, when Agnello submitted at least three applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans on behalf of his Jamaica-based business, Crown Auto Parts Recycling LLC. He provided false information, including inflated employee headcounts, a claim of no prior criminal record, and assurances that the money would cover salaries and operations. In reality, the company had ceased operations before most of the loans were approved, and Agnello diverted roughly $420,000 to a cryptocurrency venture rather than legitimate business needs.

U.S. District Judge Nusrat Choudhury imposed the sentence in federal court on Long Island, falling short of...