Carmine Agnello is a made member of the Gambino crime family and the former son-in-law of John Gotti who was sentenced in 2001 to nine years in federal prison for running a Queens scrap metal racket through extortion and arson. He later resurfaced in a Cleveland scrap-yard fraud case that ended in a 2017 plea deal with no prison time, and his son, Carmine Gotti Agnello Jr., was sentenced in 2026 in a separate COVID-19 relief fraud.
Who Carmine Agnello Is
Prosecutors have described Agnello as a “career mobster” and a “made member of the Gambino Crime Family” in New York City. Queens District Attorney Richard Brown once called him “one of the most elusive figures in organized crime.”1QNS. Agnello Gets Nine Years on Racketeering Charges
His place in the public record is tied to his 1984 marriage to Victoria Gotti, John Gotti’s daughter. They had three sons: Carmine Jr. (born 1986), John (born 1987), and Frank (born 1990). A first child, a daughter named Justine, was stillborn roughly nine months after the wedding.2People. All About Victoria Gotti’s Kids In government-recorded prison transcripts, John Gotti referred to his son-in-law as “a moron” and predicted he would eventually be indicted.3Michigan’s Thumb. Gotti’s Daughter Victoria Gets Divorce
The Willets Point Scrap Metal Racket
Agnello built his operation in the Willets Point section of Queens, holding a majority interest in New York Scrap Inc. and New York Shredding Corporation. New York Scrap handled roughly 80 percent of the crushing business in Willets Point and generated over $30 million a year, according to court papers.1QNS. Agnello Gets Nine Years on Racketeering Charges
He kept that market share by intimidation. Competitors were pressured into selling him their crushed vehicles, and those who refused faced arson. The evidence that broke the case came from an elaborate NYPD undercover operation built around a phony scrap business called Stadium Scrap, Inc., set up in a rundown trailer on a vacant lot in Willets Point. Detectives posed as the company’s owners and truck drivers and ran the fake business for about a year.4New York Post. Cops’ Hard Work Sold Agnello
Agnello and an associate, Joseph “Jumbo” Burger, visited the site and threatened to “bang heads” with what they believed were competitors. When Stadium Scrap refused to sell him crushed metal, Agnello ordered an associate to torch the facility. In June 1999, police caught the arsonist cutting the locks on the gate. The man then agreed to cooperate and wore a recording device that captured Agnello giving instructions on how to make Molotov cocktails. Three fires were ultimately set at the lot under Agnello’s direction.5U.S. Department of Justice. Carmine Agnello Pleads Guilty Agnello was arrested outside his home in Old Westbury, Long Island. Bail was initially set as high as $18 million.1QNS. Agnello Gets Nine Years on Racketeering Charges
2001 Federal Sentence and Divorce
In August 2001, Agnello pleaded guilty to racketeering, extortion, and arson. On November 1, 2001, Federal Judge Nina Gershon sentenced him to nine years in prison. He was ordered to forfeit $10 million, pay $950,000 in restitution to victims, and pay $150,000 in back taxes. He was also barred for life from the scrap metal industry.1QNS. Agnello Gets Nine Years on Racketeering Charges
Victoria Gotti filed for divorce in September 2000 and was granted it in February 2002 on the grounds of constructive abandonment. She received the family mansion in Old Westbury, $12,500 per month in alimony, $12,500 per month in child support, and custody of their three sons. Agnello was also required to maintain a $1 million life insurance policy, with $400,000 designated for Gotti and $600,000 for their sons. At the time, the government was pursuing Agnello’s 14 commercial properties in Jamaica, Queens, to recover roughly $8.7 million he still owed under his plea deal.6New York Daily News. The Perks of Victoria Gotti’s Divorce
The Cleveland Scrap Yard Case
The lifetime ban on the scrap metal industry did not stick. After his release, Agnello set up Eagle Auto Parts in Cleveland. Prosecutors alleged he ran an illegal car-scrapping scheme there, weighing down vehicles with dirt and sand before selling them as scrap metal and defrauding a company called Ferrous Processing and Trading. The scheme also involved bribing Ferrous employees to look the other way. Cleveland police launched an undercover infiltration of the business in 2013.7Cleveland.com. Prosecutors Say Carmine Agnello Ran Illegal Car Scrapping Scheme
Agnello was indicted in 2015 on charges of racketeering, theft, and environmental offenses. Prosecutors sought $1 million bond and called him a flight risk, but he was released on a $100,000 personal bond with a GPS monitor. In June 2017, the case ended with a plea deal. Agnello pleaded guilty to one environmental violation and no contest to charges of theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was placed on one year of inactive probation and ordered to pay $180,000 to cover investigation costs. He avoided prison entirely. Charges against his wife, Danielle, and against Eagle Auto Parts were dismissed.8The Spokesman-Review. Ex-Son-in-Law of John Gotti Avoids Prison in Plea Deal
His Son’s 2026 COVID-19 Fraud Case
The Agnello name returned to federal court through Carmine Gotti Agnello Jr., who followed his father into the scrap metal business and ran Crown Auto Parts & Recycling LLC in Jamaica, Queens. Between April 2020 and November 2021, he submitted fraudulent applications for three COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans on behalf of the company, obtaining approximately $1.1 million from the Small Business Administration. He lied about the number of employees, the intended use of the funds, and his criminal history, falsely claiming he had no record despite a 2018 misdemeanor conviction.9U.S. Department of Justice. Smithtown Man Pleads Guilty to $1 Million COVID-19 Fraud
Instead of using the money for disaster relief, Agnello Jr. diverted it for personal use, putting roughly $420,000 into a cryptocurrency business and wiring another $98,000 to Coinbase.10Brooklyn News 12. Gotti’s Grandson Hasn’t Donated His Kidney as New Lawyer Apologizes He pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in September 2024.11U.S. Department of Justice. Long Island Man Sentenced to Prison for $1 Million COVID-19 Fraud
U.S. District Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury sentenced him to 15 months in federal prison, two years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service, and $1,268,302 in restitution to the SBA.11U.S. Department of Justice. Long Island Man Sentenced to Prison for $1 Million COVID-19 Fraud He was ordered to surrender on July 20, 2026.12ABC 7 New York. Carmine Agnello Sentenced for COVID Fraud
On the night of June 2, 2026, weeks before that surrender date, Nassau County police arrested Agnello Jr. at his East Norwich home after a verbal argument with his girlfriend escalated. The criminal complaint says he accused her of cheating, then shoved, slapped, and punched her, placed both hands around her neck causing her to struggle to breathe, kicked her repeatedly, and smashed her $2,000 cellphone.13New York Post. John Gotti’s Grandson Carmine Agnello Arrested for Choking Girlfriend The victim sustained swelling and bruising to her arm, neck, left eye, and head.14East Bay Times. John Gotti Grandson Carmine Agnello Arrested He was charged with third-degree assault, criminal obstruction of breathing, and criminal mischief, pleaded not guilty at arraignment in First District Court in Hempstead on June 4, 2026, and was released without bail under the supervision of the Nassau County Department of Probation.15Newsday. Gotti Grandson Carmine Agnello Arrested The victim later said she did not intend to pursue the charges, and it was not clear from reporting whether the new arrest would affect the July 20 surrender date.