Carmine Agnello, 40, married the woman who had accused him of domestic assault just two days before surrendering to federal prison.
The grandson of infamous Gambino crime boss John Gotti wed Ariana Puran on August 8, his lawyer confirmed to Newsday. The ceremony came with remarkable timing: Agnello reported to authorities on August 10 to begin a 15-month sentence for a COVID relief scam that netted him more than $1 million.
Agnello had originally been ordered to start his prison term on June 2. He secured a two-month delay by telling the judge he planned to donate a kidney to his mother, Victoria Gotti, 61, the “Growing Up Gotti” reality star and daughter of the so-called Teflon Don. Federal prosecutors had countered that the surgery could be performed inside a federal facility, but the procedure never took place, according to reports.
The wedding layered fresh controversy onto an already complicated legal picture. On June 4, prosecutors charged Agnello with assault for allegedly choking and slapping Puran inside his East Norwich, Long Island home. The alleged attack, authorities said, stemmed from a jealous rage over a reputed affair.
Puran later spoke to reporters about the incident, downplaying its severity. She characterized the confrontation as simply “a regular couple’s argument,” according to the account.
Victoria Gotti took a far harsher view of her son’s then-girlfriend. After the arrest, she publicly lashed out at Puran, branding her “a rat” for contacting law enforcement about the alleged assault.
The assault case remains active in state court, records show, creating the unusual circumstance of a husband beginning federal prison while facing potential state prosecution involving his new wife.
Agnello’s federal conviction stemmed from a 2024 guilty plea to wire fraud. He admitted running a scheme through his auto parts company that scammed more than $1 million in pandemic relief funds. Of that amount, approximately $420,000 went toward a failed cryptocurrency investment, prosecutors said.
The Teflon Don’s nephew is now serving his sentence at FCI Fairton, a medium-security facility in rural New Jersey, with an anticipated release date in August.
Agnello gained public recognition as a teenager appearing alongside his mother and brothers on the 2004 A&E reality series “Growing Up Gotti,” which documented the family’s lavish lifestyle on Long Island. The show ran for three seasons and cemented the Gottis’ place in pop culture as a mob dynasty with reality-TV gloss.
The kidney donation that delayed Agnello’s surrender had drawn skepticism from the outset. Prosecutors argued the procedure could be handled within the Bureau of Prisons medical system, but the surgery window came and went without operation.