November 7, 2017 — CODFATHER IN PRISON, BUT PRESSURE ON GOVERNMENT REMAINS: Carlos Rafael — the New Bedford, Mass. based fishing mogul otherwise known as the Codfather — is scheduled to report to federal prison today. Yet even with a nearly four-year sentence, the pressure continues on regulators to ensure that he doesn’t return to his old ways.
What he did wrong: The prison sentence caps a career of 30-plus years in which Rafael flouted fishing laws — and authorities. At one fisheries meeting, he taunted officials by saying: “I am a pirate. It’s your job to catch me.” After being caught in undercover recording bragging about illegal activities, Rafael pleaded guilty in March to 28 criminal charges, ranging from falsifying federal records to smuggling cash.