“Cod Father” indicted on charges of evading federal fishing quotas
By News Staff
The owner of one of the largest commercial fishing businesses in the United States was indicted Monday on charges he submitted falsified records to the federal government to evade federal fishing quotas.
Carlos Rafael, 64, of Dartmouth, MA, the owner of Carlos Seafood, Inc., is charged with one count of conspiring to falsify reports submitted to the federal government.
With help from Antonio Freitas, 46. of Taunton, MA, a Sheriff’s Deputy with the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office, police say Rafael was able to access restricted areas of Logan Airport which helped Rafael smuggle cash from the United States to his native Portugal.
Prosecutors say Rafael routinely lied to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) about the quantity and species of fish his boats caught in order to evade federal quotas designed to guarantee the sustainability of certain fish species.
Prosecutors claim Freitas misreported 815,812 pounds of fish from 2012-2016. Both men face up to 20 years in prison.
