Captain with Bristol County Sheriff’s Office Indicted for Smuggling Profits to Portugal

BOSTON – A Captain with the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in connection with helping Carlos Rafael, the owner of one of the largest commercial fishing businesses in the U.S., smuggle the profits of his illegal overfishing scheme to Portugal.

Jamie Melo, 45, of North Dartmouth, Mass., was indicted on one count each of bulk cash smuggling, structuring and conspiracy. In August 2017, Melo was arrested and charged in a criminal complaint.

In May 2015, federal agents began an undercover operation targeting Carlos Rafael, the owner of one of the largest commercial fishing businesses in the U.S.  In the fall of 2015, undercover agents, posing as potential buyers of Rafael’s business, met with Rafael to negotiate buying his fishing business.  Rafael told the agents that he hid the cash proceeds of his illegal fishing sales, in part, by smuggling the money to Portugal. As alleged in court documents, Rafael said that he sometimes took the money himself, but also used the services of others, and referred to knowing several members of the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office, including Melo, whom he described as, “the captain at the prison.”

As alleged, on Nov. 10, 2015, agents conducting surveillance at Logan Airport saw Melo and Rafael arrive in a van, marked as belonging to the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office, for a flight to Portugal.  Melo completed TSA screening without incident, but Rafael was found in possession of $26,400, for which he completed a federal reporting form.  Several other acquaintances of Rafael and Melo were also on the flight and, allegedly coordinated by Melo, helped Rafael smuggle an additional $50,000 in cash to Portugal.  It is further alleged that before the flight, Melo distributed envelopes of cash to these acquaintances, each of whom took an envelope on the flight and returned it to Melo or Rafael after landing in Portugal.  Two days later, on Nov. 13, 2015, Portuguese bank records indicate that Carlos Rafael deposited $76,000 in U.S. currency into a Banif Bank account.

The charge of conspiracy provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.  The charge of bulk cash smuggling provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of structuring carries a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $500,000.  Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Gregory K. Null, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Philadelphia Field Office; and Joel P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling of Weinreb’s Economic Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.