BOSTON (AP) — A former Massachusetts sheriff’s deputy convicted of helping a fishing mogul known as the Codfather smuggle the profits of an illegal scheme to evade catch quotas has been sentenced to a year in prison.
Federal prosecutors say former Bristol County sheriff’s deputy Antonio Freitas was also sentenced Thursday to three years of probation. He was convicted by a jury in July of charges including cash smuggling.
Authorities say in February 2016 the 47-yearold Taunton man smuggled $17,500 through airport security and later deposited the money in a Portuguese bank account belonging to Carlos Rafael.
Rafael was sentenced last month to nearly four years in prison after pleading guilty to charges including tax evasion and false labeling and fish identification. Rafael also forfeited some of his boats and fishing licenses.
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