Codfather and Sheriff’s Deputy to be Tried Separately

NEW BEDFORD - A New Bedford fishing magnate and a Bristol County Sheriff's Deputy will be tried separately in court next year.

According to The Gloucester Times, lawyers for Carlos Rafael and Deputy Antonio Freitas filed separate motions in November to sever their cases from each other, allowing each of them to have their own trial. A U.S. District Court judge has granted the request, and set a trial date of February 6 for Carlos Rafael.

Rafael is accused of falsely reporting the species and quantity of fish his boats were catching in order to skirt federal regulations. Freitas is accused of helping Rafael smuggle mass amounts of cash out of the country.

Rafael's attorney's had called for a separate trial because of some of Freitas' admissions during interviews that will be used against him and Rafael during the trial would have violated Rafael's rights.