January 24, 2017 — The federal trial of New Bedford fishing kingpin Carlos Rafael has been pushed back more than a month to March amid indications that Rafael is looking for a deal from federal prosecutors.
U.S. District Court Judge William Young, sitting in Boston, approved the defense’s request to reschedule the start of the trial to March 20 to accommodate a scheduling conflict for one of Rafael’s attorneys. It is the second time the original Feb. 6 trial date has been extended.
The motion for a continuance filed by Rafael’s attorney William H. Kettlewell also indicated that Rafael is speaking with prosecutors about resolving the charges in the 27-count indictment before the matter goes to trial.
“The short continuance requested in this motion will allow counsel time to complete (another) trial and complete discussions with the U.S. Attorney’s Office regarding resolving the matter short of trial,” Kettlewell wrote in his motion.
Kettlewell did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment on the rescheduling or the possibility of a pre-trial deal.
Rafael, known widely as the “Codfather” to reflect his expansive fishing fleet of at least 36 commercial fishing vessels and significant waterfront holdings, is accused of 25 counts of lying to federal fishing regulators about the value and species of his seafood landings and selling portions of those landings off the books.