New Bedford fishing mogul Carlos A. Rafael has been indicted on 27 criminal counts in U.S. District Court, including conspiracy, falsifying federal records and bulk cash smuggling, according to the federal indictment unsealed Monday.
The indictment accuses Rafael, known in New Bedford waterfront circles as "The Codfather" of falsely reporting to NOAA Fisheries the species of about 815,812 pounds of fish in the four-year span between 2012 and 2016 in an alleged scheme to circumvent federal fishing quotas and "profit from the sale of misreported fish," the indictment stated.
The indictment also names as a defendant Antonio M. Freitas, a Bristol County sheriff's deputy who is accused of helping Rafael smuggle money out of the country
