Catching the Codfather Part 1: Red Lobster
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio
Milk Street Radio
4.2 • 3K Ratings
🗓️ 17 February 2026
⏱️ 57 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today, we’re sharing a special episode from The Big Dig podcast from GBH News, Catching the Codfather. Carlos “The Codfather” Rafael dominates the most valuable fishing port in the United States, and no one is quite sure how he did it. But in 2015, when undercover federal agents offer to buy his business, Carlos opens his books.
Listen to the series host Ian Coss talk with Christopher Kimball on Milk Street Radio about the full story here.
Subscribe to The Big Dig Presents: Catching the Codfather here.
Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, it's Christopher Kimball. Today we're sharing a special episode from the Big Dig podcast from Gbh News. |
| 0:07.2 | This is the first episode of their latest season, Catching the Codfather, all about the rise and fall of fishing mogul Carlos Rafael. |
| 0:15.6 | We had the show's host, Ian Koss, on Mill Street Radio a few weeks ago to share Carlos's story. |
| 0:22.4 | But keep listening to hear more, including more recordings from the undercover sting |
| 0:26.5 | operation that brought Carlos down. Enjoy, and don't forget to follow the big dig wherever |
| 0:32.0 | you get your podcasts. Can you tell me about how you did ultimately get arrested? |
| 0:46.5 | This all started a few years back when I wanted to sell my business. |
| 0:56.5 | See, my legacy, it was to grow this to a point that I would turn it over to my keys. |
| 1:05.8 | I dated. That's it. I'm done. I wanted to give the business to my middle daughter. And I told her, |
| 1:13.1 | Stephanie, I was 62 at the time. I said, Stephanie, that is Taya. I got enough. I'm going to |
| 1:20.5 | give you the business. And I want no money. At the end of the year, the profits you split with |
| 1:26.5 | your sisters. |
| 1:29.6 | It's yours. |
| 1:32.2 | So she looks at me and she says, |
| 1:36.9 | do you think I want the kind of life you have? |
| 1:42.8 | And she didn't want a company over 100 million just for them. |
| 1:45.7 | Can you blame her? |
| 1:46.7 | No. |
| 1:49.8 | No. |
| 1:53.3 | No, because I see what I did to my family. |
| 1:56.6 | I never get to spend time with them. |
| 1:59.8 | I never get to go to the school place and all this other shit. |
... |
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