Grandson of Notorious Mob Boss John Gotti Sentenced to Prison for Covid-19 Relief Fraud and Crypto Scheme

Carmine Agnello, grandson of notorious mob boss John Gotti, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for his role in a Covid-19 relief fund scam, in which he fraudulently obtained $1.1 million from the US government's Small Business Administration. According to the Department of Justice, Agnello used a significant portion of the funds, approximately $420,000, to invest in cryptocurrency. The US Attorney's Eastern District of New York office revealed that Agnello had submitted false information to secure multiple disaster relief loans, claiming the funds were for his autoparts and recycling business in Queens, including employee salaries. Between April 2020 and November 2021, Agnello exploited the system, using the relief funds for his personal benefit. The US Attorney, Joseph Nocella, condemned Agnello's actions, stating that he 'shamefully lined his own pockets with government and taxpayers' dollars' during the pandemic. Agnello's case is not an isolated incident, as numerous individuals have been caught defrauding the government's Covid relief fund, including Bruce Choi, who obtained $2 million in pandemic-related business loans for non-existent companies, and David T. Hines, who used $3.9 million in relief funds to purchase a Lamborghini. According to the US Government Accountability Office, an estimated $135 billion, or up to 15% of the total Covid-19 relief funds, was lost to scams. Agnello's grandfather, John Gotti, was a notorious figure, known for his brutal violence and lucrative criminal enterprises, which allegedly generated $500 million annually. In 1992, Gotti was convicted on 13 criminal counts and sentenced to federal prison, where he died of cancer at the age of 61.