Embattled New England fisheries executive Carlos Rafael said Thursday he will plead guilty in a US federal court to "certain fishing-related charges," calling it "the right thing to do."

Earlier in the month, he stated his intention to enter the guilty plea for evading fishing quotas and smuggling profits to Portugal.

Rafael was indicted on 27 charges for charges including conspiracy, false entries and bulk cash smuggling.

US Attorney Carmen Ortiz alleged Rafael falsely reported the species of more than 815,000 pounds of fish to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) over the course of at least four years.

Rafael