UPDATE: ‘Codfather’ to plead guilty in fish quota evasion case
But the plea deal, at least for now, raises as many questions as it answers.
The
However, federal prosecutors, who had filed a 27-count indictment against the
And so, for now, the questions hover:
* Will the deal include prison time and is there an attached sentencing recommendation for the 64-year-old Rafael, who is accused of one count of conspiracy, 25 counts of lying to federal fishing regulators and one count of bulk smuggling?
* Under the terms of the deal, what happens to Rafael's vast holdings of more than 40 fishing vessels -- ported in
* And finally, will Rafael's deal with prosecutors mean we will never learn any details of the so-called "
Last March, an affidavit submitted by Internal Revenue Service Special Agent
It was attributed to a
In a meeting last January in a
"During the meeting, the UCs (undercover agents) also told Perretti that they had cash on hand from an insurance fraud they perpetuated," according to the affidavit. "Perretti explained that he could launder money from the UCs, suggesting he could reach out to individuals he used to charge 15 percent in the past."
The undercover agents pressed Perretti on whether he could actually help them with laundering the cash.
"Perretti replied, 'Yeah, I could do that. I can do that. I can move some of that'," the affidavit stated. "When asked how much cash Perretti could 'move,' Perretti said, 'I don't know because I haven't reached out for a long time for anybody so now...it's always doable. I haven't reached out to anybody. Like I said, I'm only using him (Rafael) and the other guy in
Beyond Rafael's business holdings, that was the only reference to
May trial for ex-deputy
Rafael was arrested last
Following two delays, Rafael was scheduled to go to trial
The indictment accused Rafael of falsely reporting to
He also is charged with one count of conspiracy and another count of bulk smuggling of cash out of the country with the assistance of
Federal prosecutors did not indicate how Rafael's plea deal will impact the prosecution of Freitas, who is accused of helping Rafael smuggle money through
Freitas' trial is scheduled to begin
In a January filing, Rafael's attorney
Kettlewell could not be immediately reached Thursday for comment.
Contact
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