Gotti's grandson hasn't donated his kidney, as new lawyer apologizes for previous council's arguments
According to the document, Agnello’s new lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, apologized to U.S. District Judge Nusrat Choudhury for what he called a “voluminous argument” submitted by the prior counsel, which spans over 200 pages.
As Carmine Agnello heads toward sentencing for a million-dollar COVID loan fraud case, his new attorney has apologized to the judge in a court filing submitted Monday about the prior counsel's previous legal actions surrounding a kidney donation.
According to the document, Agnello’s new lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, apologized to U.S. District Judge Nusrat Choudhury for what he called a “voluminous argument” submitted by the prior counsel, which spans over 200 pages.
The filing comes ahead of Agnello’s April 20 sentencing date.
Agnello is the grandson of notorious mob boss John Gotti.
Lichtman said Agnello’s prior offer to donate a kidney to his mother, Victoria Gotti, should be seen as an “exceptionally good deed,” based on family circumstances, and apologized for the variance, saying surgery “has not yet even taken place.”
The federal judge granted an emergency request in March so that Agnello could donate the kidney to his mother.
As a previous court filing stated, "the surgery has been scheduled amongst at least three surgeons to take place on March 30, 2026."
While Agnello does not dispute submitting fraudulent loan applications, Lichtman argued that the business listed on the applications - Crown Auto Parts - was not merely a shell company, but a legitimate salvage yard with real employees, equipment, and expenses.
"In providing this information for the Court's review," Lichtman writes, "our point is not that the defendant properly utilized the loan proceeds that he received - he did not, and indeed at the very least, he improperly used $420k in disbursements by investing in a cryptocurrency business and wired another $98k to Coinbase, the cryptocurrency exchange. Instead, our point is simply that this was not a situation where the defendant outright stole $1,146,320."
As News 12 has reported, Agnello admitted to lying on COVID-19 relief loan applications meant for small businesses.
The filing also notes that Agnello’s finances have deteriorated - and that he no longer owns a Mercedes S550 and now lives with his mother in Oyster Bay.
