NEW YORK — Late mob boss John Gotti’s reality TV star grandson has reported to federal prison after trying to stave off his sentence on fraud charges 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 “Growing Up Gotti ” 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’s lawyers have said in court filings that Victoria Gotti, the daughter of the former head of New York’s 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. “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,” 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. “It is undisputed that Carmine is a great match for Ms. Gotti,” he said. “He 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.” Prosecutors objected, noting that a medical report attached to the defendant’s letter said doctors were working to “identify the etiology and the proper treatment” for Gotti’s recurring infections and no transplant could happen until they are fully treated. “Clearly, the transplant surgery is not imminent,” said Joseph Nocella, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Nocella’s 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 US$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 “Growing up Gotti,” which followed the family’s life on Long Island. His grandfather earned the nicknames “Teflon Don” and “Dapper Don” for his flamboyant style and ability to beat some of the criminal charges he faced over the years. He died in a Missouri federal prison 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 U.S. President Donald Trump granted him clemency last year. ___ Philip Marcelo, The Associated Press
