Carmine G. Agnello, grandson of notorious mob boss John Gotti, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for fraudulently acquiring $1.1 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Between April 2020 and November 2021, Agnello submitted false information to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), claiming the funds were for his auto parts and recycling business in Queens, New York. Instead, he diverted a significant portion of the funds, approximately $420,000, into cryptocurrency investments. This case is part of a larger trend of fraud within pandemic aid programs, with the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimating that around $135 billion, or up to 15% of relief funds, were lost to scams. Agnello's actions were condemned by U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, who emphasized the misuse of taxpayer dollars during a national crisis. His grandfather, John Gotti, was infamous for leading the Gambino crime family and was convicted on multiple charges before dying in prison in 2002.