Update: Two years after being arrested and charged on racketeering and conspiracy charges in Cleveland Carmine "The Bull" Agnello
pleaded guilty this week to lesser charges and avoided jail time.
The former son-in-law of John Gotti and reputed Gambino family mobster copped to theft, possession of a gun by a felon, and an environmental violation in connection with allegations that he ran a multi-million dollar scheme of stolen cars and scrap metal.
Agnello will fork over a $180,000 fine and be put on inactive probation until he pays the full amount.
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(Original story 7/15/15): Carmine Agnello, a reputed mobster and the former son-in-law of mob boss John Gotti, was arrested this morning at his Cleveland scrapyard on East 116th Street, federal officials announced.
The 55-year-old Agnello is one of 12 people implicated in a multi-million dollar scrapping scam that involves dozens of counts of fraud and bribery to benefit the alleged mobster's employees.
He and his cohorts are facing a slew of charges, the least of which include money laundering and conspiracy; the worst include injecting race horses with banned substances (NOT THE HORSIES). Steroids, guns, computers, and $45,000 in cash have also been found at his Bentlyville residence and auto yards,
sources say.
“You can take the boy out of Queens, but you can’t take the mob out of the boy,” a retired investigator told the
NYPost about the Gambino crime family member.
Agnello's arrest comes as a result of an 18-month investigation, nicknamed "Operation Goodfella," which launched after police noticed a surge in stolen automobiles around town, many of which were never found.
Cleveland.com reports that authorities learned that Agnello was roping in neighborhood teens to do his dirty work, offering them up to $25 to steal cars. He'd then crush the vehicles, fill them with sand or concrete to make them heavier, and take them to scrapyards where he'd bribe and/or threaten employees to look the other way.
Authorities say there isn't evidence that Agnello was shuttling money to his NYC crime family, but the investigation is still ongoing.
Agnello made his way to the Buckeye state in 2008, after divorcing mob princess Victoria Gotti, serving a six year sentence for racketeering and tax evasion, and proving once again that he has a real thing for father-in-laws after marrying Danielle Vangar, the daughter of a known Armenian terrorist leader.
