The family of American mob boss John Gotti has been sentenced for involvement in cryptocurrency-related fraud

The U.S. Department of Justice revealed that Carmine Agnello, the grandson of mob boss John Gotti, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining approximately $1.1 million in COVID relief funds and investing part of the money into cryptocurrency ventures.

Prosecutors stated that from April 2020 to November 2021, Agnello obtained multiple relief loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) through false declarations, falsely claiming they were for the operation of his auto parts and recycling business, while actually diverting the funds for personal use, including approximately $420,000 invested in cryptocurrency-related investments. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York indicated that this conduct occurred during the peak of the pandemic, representing a serious abuse of government aid funds. Agnello is expected to report to prison on July 1. Additionally, official data shows that fraud related to U.S. pandemic relief funds is severe, with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimating that about $135 billion (approximately 15% of the total) has flowed into fraudulent activities.