RIGHT SPEAK: A Gotti Grandson Pleads Guilty to Covid Relief Fraud; Smithtown Man Admits To $1M Coronavirus Fraud: Feds, and other C-Virus related stories

A Gotti Grandson Pleads Guilty to Covid Relief Fraud:

A U.S. attorney said that Carmine G. Agnello had “shamefully” used the pandemic “as an opportunity to line his pockets.”

The grandson of John Gotti, the infamous former boss of the Gambino crime family, pleaded guilty on Thursday to fraudulently collecting more than $1 million in Covid disaster relief loans, much of which he invested in cryptocurrency.

The grandson, Carmine G. Agnello Jr., 38, was arraigned on Thursday in a federal courthouse in Central Islip, Long Island, on charges of wire fraud. Mr. Agnello faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $2.2 million.

Breon S. Peace, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement that Mr. Agnello had “shamefully” used the pandemic “as an opportunity to line his pockets.”

On Thursday, Mr. Agnello appeared alert and solemn as he entered his plea in court, answering the judge in one-word answers. He stood beside his lawyer, James R. Froccaro Jr., wearing a blue checkered blazer and a white silk pocket square. His hair was pulled back in a bun, and he had a fading tan. He appeared anxious, until his mother, Victoria Gotti, arrived in court.

Ms. Gotti sat behind her son in the gallery, wearing knee-high patent leather boots and carrying a Louis Vuitton bag. At one point, she wiped tears from her eyes. While being questioned by the judge, Nusrat Jahan Choudhury, about the bond, Ms. Gotti described her son as “my song.”

After the proceedings, Mr. Agnello left the federal courthouse under a cloudy sky, declining to speak with reporters before driving off in a Mercedes Maybach. --->READ MORE HERE

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Smithtown Man Admits To $1M Coronavirus Fraud: Feds

The man, the grandson of the late John Gotti, pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining disaster relief loans, the U.S. DOJ says.

A Smithtown man pleaded guilty to wire fraud after he fraudulently received approximately $1.1 million in small business disaster relief loans during the coronavirus pandemic, the United States Department of Justice announced Thursday.

Carmine G. Agnello, 38, fraudulently received loans under the United States Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDLP), federal officials said. When sentenced, Agnello faces up to 30 years in prison, as well as restitution totaling more than $940K and a fine of up to $2.2 million.

Agnello is the grandson of the late John Gotti, former boss of the Gambino organized crime family.

"Agnello allegedly used over $1 million in COVID relief funds for his own financial gain," said Daniel Brubaker, inspector in charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service's New York Division, in a news release. "Government money that was intended to assist struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Postal inspectors will relentlessly pursue any individuals who scheme to defraud the government and steal taxpayer funds. We, along with our law enforcement partners, will not end this pursuit of justice until those who take advantage of the U.S. Mail to commit fraud are held fully accountable. Today’s guilty plea is proof of that fact."

Congress created the EIDLP as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act, enacted on March 29, 2020, provided emergency financial aid to help with the economic effects of the pandemic. The EIDLP provided low-interest financing to small businesses, renters and homeowners in regions affected by declared disasters, according to the government. --->READ MORE HERE