美国国家公共电台 NPR Sentencing Approaches for New England's 'Codfather'

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

A fishing mogul known as the Codfather could be sentenced to prison this week for tax evasion² and smuggling³. Carlos Rafael built a small empire in New Bedford, Mass., and the confiscation⁴ of his boats would deliver a harsh blow to the port town. As member station WBUR's Simon Rios reports, both friends and foes⁵ want his businesses to stay.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Between his scalloping and ground fishing boats, Carlos Rafael came to be the largest single owner of fishing vessels⁶ in New England and possibly in the country. But in 2015, undercover IRS agents posed as Russian criminals and convinced him they wanted to buy his entire fleet. Rafael unpacked⁷ an elaborate criminal enterprise to the agents - one he said he'd been carrying out for three decades. Rafael hasn't spoken to reporters of late. But in 2004, he told an archivist that the future of the fishing industry would be for those with enough money to invest in different types of boats.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CARLOS RAFAEL: It's a future for guys with deep pockets. I can diversify⁸. I got the draggers. I got the scallopers (ph). I have alternatives. But the guy that only got one boat, he's in trouble.

SIMON RIOS, BYLINE⁹: Now Rafael is the one in trouble. Court records show he valued his business at $175 million. He told the undercover agents the value came from the way he cheated the government quota¹⁰ system. Rafael's men would haul in a more valuable fish, like cod¹, and report it as a cheaper species with a much greater quota. Now Rafael is facing prison time for counts including tax evasion and bulk cash smuggling - all of which he admitted to.

But people in New Bedford want to know what will become of the 13 fishing boats and all the permits attached to them that were tied to Rafael's crimes?

RICHARD MAUZEROLLE: I've been working for Carlos for 12 years now.

RIOS: Richard Mauzerolle sprays foam¹¹ insulation¹² in the fish holds of Carlos Rafael's boats. He's one of hundreds of people who worked for Rafael.

MAUZEROLLE: He's one of my main livelihoods¹³ right down in the area. So it'd be a shame to have him lose anything. You know, he's brought this fishing industry back to where it's supposed to be down here.

RIOS: Rafael is likely to hold on to his lucrative¹⁴ scalloping vessels. But 13 of his ground fishing boats are subject to forfeiture¹⁵.

Poseidon is one of them. Destiny is one. Those are subject to forfeiture.

I met former fisherman Jim Kendall on a dock in New Bedford, where Rafael keeps several of his boats.

So it's all the ones painted green with a CR, Carlos Rafael, inside a circle. That's his logo.

JIM KENDALL: Yeah. That's his logo (laughter). I've known Carlos for years. And I think he loves nothing better than challenging.

RIOS: For much of Rafael's career, the challenger has been the U.S. government. But this time, the government has the upper hand.

JON MITCHELL: Carlos Rafael is a scoundrel. And he deserves to go to prison.

RIOS: Jon Mitchell was a federal prosecutor¹⁶ before becoming mayor of New Bedford. The city prides itself on having the most lucrative fishing port in the country.

MITCHELL: The most important question right now is, what happens to his permit?

RIOS: Mitchell wants Port officials in New Bedford to control Rafael's permits. That would keep his boats and all of the jobs in the city. But they could be put up for auction¹⁷ to the whole of the Northeast. It'll be up to a federal judge in Boston to decide the fate of Rafael's fishing empire on the same day he issues his sentence. For NPR News, I'm Simon Rios in Boston.

(SOUNDBITE OF RATATAT SONG, "LOUD PIPES")

1 cod   

n.鳕鱼；v.愚弄；哄骗

参考例句：

• They salt down cod for winter use.他们腌鳕鱼留着冬天吃。
• Cod are found in the North Atlantic and the North Sea.北大西洋和北海有鳕鱼。

2 evasion   

n.逃避，偷漏(税)

参考例句：

• The movie star is in prison for tax evasion.那位影星因为逃税而坐牢。
• The act was passed as a safeguard against tax evasion.这项法案旨在防止逃税行为。

3 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

4 confiscation   

n. 没收, 充公, 征收

参考例句：

• Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels. 没收一切流亡分子和叛乱分子的财产。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言
• Confiscation of smuggled property is part of the penalty for certain offences. 没收走私财产是对某些犯罪予以惩罚的一部分。

5 foes   

敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They steadily pushed their foes before them. 他们不停地追击敌人。
• She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。

6 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 unpacked   

v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的过去式和过去分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等）

参考例句：

• I unpacked my bags as soon as I arrived. 我一到达就打开行李，整理衣物。
• Our guide unpacked a picnic of ham sandwiches and offered us tea. 我们的导游打开装着火腿三明治的野餐盒，并给我们倒了些茶水。 来自辞典例句

8 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。

9 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

10 quota   

n.（生产、进出口等的）配额，（移民的）限额

参考例句：

• A restricted import quota was set for meat products.肉类产品设定了进口配额。
• He overfulfilled his production quota for two months running.他一连两个月超额完成生产指标。

11 foam   

v./n.泡沫，起泡沫

参考例句：

• The glass of beer was mostly foam.这杯啤酒大部分是泡沫。
• The surface of the water is full of foam.水面都是泡沫。

12 insulation   

n.隔离；绝缘；隔热

参考例句：

• Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
• It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。

13 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

14 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

15 forfeiture   

n.（名誉等）丧失

参考例句：

• Both face maximum forfeitures of about $1.2 million.双方都面临最高120万美元左右的罚金。
• If he should break his day,what should I gain by the exaction of the forfeiture?如果他到期不还我从这罚金中又能得到什么好处？

16 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

17 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。