Fraud, Laundering, and other Fish Crimes. Who was “The Codfather”?
From Say More by The Boston Globe
April 16, 2026 · 34 min
About this episode
The episode explores the story of Carlos Rafael, known as 'The Codfather', and the challenges of regulating fisheries in the US.
For years, the New Bedford docks were home to one of the most notorious fraudsters in Massachusetts fishing history. His name is Carlos Rafael, but you might remember him as “The Codfather.” Besides being an exciting yarn full of conspiracy and crime, Carlos’s story ends up being a fascinating window into the challenge and perils of regulating fisheries in the US. This week on Say More, GBH News host and producer Ian Coss talks to host Shirley Leung about his new podcast series, “Catching the Codfather.” You can listen to the series here.
People in this episode
Host: Ian Coss
Guest: Shirley Leung
Topics covered
- fraud
- fisheries regulation
- crime
- New Bedford
- fishing history
- conspiracy
Keywords
- Codfather
- Carlos Rafael
- fishing fraud
- New Bedford docks
- fisheries regulation
- crime story
- conspiracy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: GBH News
Books & works: Catching the Codfather
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