Victoria Gotti begs judge not to jail son Carmine Agnello, who's giving her his kidney

John Annese, New York Daily News on Mar 11, 2026

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NEW YORK — John Gotti’s daughter Victoria is begging a Long Island judge to spare her fraudster son from prison time — because he’s planning on giving her one of his kidneys.

In a lengthy letter submitted Wednesday, the “Growing Up Gotti” star called her son Carmine G. Agnello her “Miracle Child,” and questioned whether he actually committed the $1.1 million COVID fraud he pleaded guilty to in 2024.

“Your Honor, you want to know what kind of a young man Carmine is? I am sure every parent would say that if asked about their child, ‘Oh, he or she is the best’ — but on my life, my upcoming transplant, THAT is the kind of young man my son is. He is there to help anyone. He is kind and generous to a fault. He is giving me the GIFT OF LIFE,” Victoria Gotti wrote to U.S. District Court Judge Nusrat Choudhury.

The infamous Gambino boss’ 63-year-old daughter recently learned she has chronic kidney disease, and Agnello “immediately stepped up,” his lawyer, Steven Metcalf wrote the judge.

Agnello, 39, is free on bond after he pleaded guilty in September 2024. Federal prosecutors are asking for 33 to 41 months, plus $1.25 million in restitution, when he’s sentenced in Long Island Federal Court on Friday.

Metcalf says Agnello should get probation, arguing that he won’t be able to get proper medical care in prison after the kidney transplant.

“Undergoing this transplant means that custody in the (Bureau of Prisons) is a huge risk,” Metcalf wrote Wednesday. “If anything happens then he will be in the worst place to handle such a problem, BOP custody.”

In his sentencing submission, Metcalf described Gotti’s life in the spotlight as The Teflon Don’s grandson, and his role on the 2024 A&E reality show.

“Carmine entered a world where he was quickly in front of a camera — leading to public fascination, and family legacy that was absolutely unavoidable — and a topic for daily discussion,” Metcalf wrote, adding, “Carmine became a fan favorite after ‘Growing Up Gotti’ aired. Viewing in hindsight, the world saw a charismatic, stylish, soft‑spoken young man who treated his family with respect.”

Agnello admitted to fraudulently applying for three COVID relief loans for his business, Crown Auto Parts, which he co-owned with his brothers, lying about the size of his payroll and falsely claiming he had no criminal record. He used $420,000 of the loan money to invest in a cryptocurrency business, according to federal prosecutors.

“Being a kidney donor does not, as set forth below, constitute extraordinary family circumstances and warrant a below guidelines sentence,” wrote Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Kelly, who argued that the federal prison system could handle Agnello’s medical needs.

In her letter, Victoria Gotti talked about her own life and career, boasting that she wrote six legal thrillers while bedridden, “all of which became NYTimes bestsellers,” and described how her ex-husband, reputed Gambino capo Carmine “The Bull” Agnello, who she divorced in 2003, taught her sons how to gamble.

“Naturally I flipped. It was the beginning of the end. I had a few close members of my family who were gamblers one or two lost all including their happy marriages and families. I would NOT stand for it!” she wrote.

She also chalked up the COVID fraud to an innocent error, contending that someone else filled out the application for him. “This entire event never made much sense to me from the start,” she wrote. “My son, Carmine would never do anything he KNEW was wrong.”