NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Late mob boss 鈥檚 reality TV star grandson has reported to federal prison after trying to stave off his by saying he was going to donate a kidney to his ailing mother, Victoria Gotti.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed Tuesday that Carmine Agnello began his 15-month prison term the previous day at the Federal Correctional Institution Fairton in southern New Jersey.
Agnello, who starred on 鈥� 鈥� in the mid-2000s, was originally scheduled to report to prison in July. But U.S. District Court Judge Nusrat Choudhury agreed to delay that until Sept. 18, saying it would allow enough time to recover from the surgery, presuming that happened by Aug. 10 as Agnello suggested
Agnello鈥檚 lawyers have said in court filings that Victoria Gotti, the daughter of the former head of New York鈥檚 Gambino crime family, suffers from chronic kidney disease.
On Monday, though, with no operation in sight, Choudhury ordered Agnello to surrender immediately to federal authorities.
鈥淏ecause 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鈥檚 self-surrender is unjustified,鈥� the judge said.
Agnello lawyer Robert Beltrani said in a letter that surgeons needed more time to set a date for the operation because Gotti was dealing with infections.
鈥淚t is undisputed that Carmine is a great match for Ms. Gotti,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e is simply asking the Court to allow him to remain available to his mother during this very limited period while her doctors determine whether and when she can proceed with transplant.鈥�
Prosecutors objected, noting that a medical report attached to the defendant鈥檚 letter said doctors were working to 鈥渋dentify the etiology and the proper treatment鈥� for Gotti鈥檚 recurring infections and no transplant could happen until they are fully treated.
鈥淐learly, the transplant surgery is not imminent,鈥� said Joseph Nocella, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Nocella鈥檚 office declined to comment further, and lawyers for Agnello did not immediately respond to email messages. Nor did Gotti, an author and former columnist for the New York Post.
Agnello pleaded guilty in 2024 to wire fraud after prosecutors said he fraudulently obtained $1.1 million in loans from a federal program meant to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A resident of Long Island, he obtained the loans on behalf of his company, Crown Auto Parts & Recycling LLC, but lied about how many people it employed, his criminal record and his plans for the funds, prosecutors said.
The company ceased operations before Agnello applied for the loan, which he ultimately used on other ventures including a $420,000 investment in a cryptocurrency business, prosecutors said.
Agnello, now 40, was a teen when he and his brothers briefly rose to fame sporting gel-spiked hairdos on 鈥淕rowing up Gotti,鈥� which followed the family’s life on Long Island.
His grandfather earned the nicknames 鈥淭eflon Don鈥� and 鈥淒apper Don鈥� for his flamboyant style and ability to beat some of the criminal charges he faced over the years. He in 2002 at age 61.
The New Jersey lockup where Agnello is now incarcerated has housed some notable inmates over the years.
Most recently disgraced former New York Congressman George Santos served less than three months of a more than seven-year sentence there before President Donald Trump last year.
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