Carlos Rafael

Carlos Rafael (born June 29, 1952 ) is a Portuguese-American former commercial fishing magnate based in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He was the owner of Carlos Seafood Inc. and operated one of the largest commercial fishing fleets in the United States.

Background

Rafael was born on the island of Corvo in the Azores, Portugal, and immigrated to the United States in 1968, settling in New Bedford.

Criminal case

New England's federal groundfish management system, implemented by NOAA in 2010, assigned fishing vessels species-specific annual catch limits and required accurate reporting of all landings. Rafael directed his bookkeeper to falsify trip and dealer reports submitted to NOAA, relabeling catch of quota-limited species such as Atlantic cod and flounder as haddock, which faced fewer restrictions. Federal prosecutors alleged that approximately 782,812 pounds of fish were misreported between 2012 and 2016. He also sold fish through off-the-books cash transactions and smuggled the proceeds to Portugal; Bristol County Sheriff's Deputy Antonio Freitas was convicted of smuggling $17,500 through airport security and depositing it in Rafael's Portuguese bank account.

In early 2016, IRS agents working alongside NOAA, the FBI, and other agencies approached Rafael posing as potential buyers of his business. During recorded meetings, Rafael described his operations in detail. He was arrested on February 26, 2016, and 13 vessels were seized. A 28-count indictment followed in May 2016 in a case prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Lelling and David G. Tobin.

Rafael pleaded guilty to all 28 counts on March 30, 2017.