August 20, 2019 — New Bedford fishing magnate Carlos Rafael will permanently give up all commercial fishing by March 31 and pay a $3 million penalty to settle the federal government’s civil claims against him, federal fishing authorities said Monday.
Allegations against the self-proclaimed “Codfather” included dozens of counts of misreporting groundfish species, underreporting groundfish, and other fishery violations related to scalloping, gear and restricted areas.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it settled with Rafael and his fishing captains Monday in an administrative proceeding.
Rafael is sitting in federal prison at Federal Medical Center Devens, where he reported in November of 2017 to serve a 46-month sentence for falsifying fishing quota, cash smuggling and tax evasion in a separate criminal case.
His attorney in the civil matter, John Markey, said that considering what an appeal would require, Rafael believes the settlement is the right thing to do for him, his family, and the captains and crews of his vessels.