Jamie Melo, Smuggling Profits, Massachusetts 2018

Former Bristol County Sheriff's Captain Smuggled Profits for Codfather

BOSTON, MA - In a shocking case of corruption, former Bristol County Sheriff's Office Captain Jamie Melo, 46, of North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, was sentenced to one year of probation, with the first eight months to be served in home confinement, for his role in helping Carlos Rafael, known as the Codfather in the fishing industry, and the owner of one of the largest commercial fishing businesses in the U.S., smuggle the profits of his illegal overfishing scheme to Portugal.

Melo was convicted by a federal jury in June 2018 of one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States and one count of structuring the export of monetary instruments. The jury acquitted Melo of one count of bulk cash smuggling.

During the trial, evidence showed that while at Logan International Airport Melo asked his friends and travel companions to carry envelopes of cash for Rafael on a flight to the Azores in Portugal. At the time, Melo was an Administrative Captain with the Bristol County Sheriff's Office and was traveling to the Azores with Rafael for a charity event sponsored by the Bristol County Sheriff's Office.

Prior to the flight, Melo asked three of his travel companions to follow him into the men's bathroom at Logan Airport before going through the TSA Security Checkpoint. In the bathroom, Melo distributed four envelopes of cash to his companions, taking one for himself. Two days after arriving in Portugal, bank records demonstrate that Rafael deposited $76,000 in U.S. currency into his Portuguese bank account.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Mark Tasky, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Philadelphia Field Office; and Kristina O'Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neil Gallagher and Justin O'Connell of Lelling's Securities and Financial Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.

The Bristol County Sheriff's Office was also implicated in the scandal, with Melo's actions raising questions about the office's involvement in the charity event. The incident highlights the need for law enforcement agencies to maintain their integrity and avoid any involvement in criminal activities.

Melo's sentencing marks the latest development in a long-running investigation into Rafael's fishing empire. Rafael has been accused of evading taxes and violating fishing regulations, and his case has sparked a wider debate about the need for stricter regulations in the fishing industry.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/former-captain-bristol-county-sheriff-s-office-sentenced-smuggling-profits-portugal