Stakeholders weigh in on fate of Codfather’s permits, penalties
September 22, 2017 — The specter of Carlos Rafael, along with his legal baggage and trove of groundfish permits, continues to hang over the New England commercial fishing industry like a shroud that most stakeholders wish would just go away.
The sentencing of Rafael, the New Bedford fishing magnate known as “The Codfather” for his expansive vessel and groundfish permit holdings, is set to begin Monday in U.S. District Court in Boston on charges of conspiracy, lying to federal fishing regulators about the nature and size of his groundfish landings and bulk smuggling.
“We can’t wait for this to be resolved,” said Maggie Raymond of the Associated Fisheries of Maine.
The sentencing of the 65-year-old Rafael, who pleaded guilty in March as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors, won’t end the contretemps. Not by a long shot.
While everyone seems to agree that Rafael should feel the full wrath of the law for his admitted misdeeds — he faces up to 76 months in prison, restitution of $109,000 to the IRS and the seizure of at least the 13 groundfishing vessels used in his scam — full resolution only will come when NOAA Fisheries decides the final fate of his 42 groundfishing permits.
There is no shortage of opinions of what NOAA should do.