'Codfather' settlement means magnate will never fish again
Source: Associated Press
‘Codfather’ settlement means magnate will never fish again
By PATRICK WHITTLE
August 19, 2019
A fishing magnate known as the Codfather will never be allowed to return to U.S. fisheries, the federal government said Monday in announcing it has settled its civil case against a man whose arrest for shirking quotas and smuggling profits overseas shocked the East Coast industry.
The settlement with Carlos Rafael and his fishing captains will clear the way for his assets to be divested, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. Those assets have been embroiled in litigation.
Rafael was based out of New Bedford, Massachusetts, and was sentenced to nearly four years in prison in 2017. He was owner of the one of the largest commercial fishing operations in the country.
NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Chris Oliver said Monday the settlement “accomplishes NOAA’s chief objective of permanently removing Mr. Rafael from participation in federal fisheries.” It will also help return Rafael’s assets to productive use when they are sold, he said.
“Mr. Rafael’s forced divestiture and permanent ban from commercial fishing is a fitting end to this case, on top of the criminal sentence he is already serving,” Oliver said.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/cf94e385236440c8b7c02833327353a3
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