Las Vegas businessman Eduardo “Eddie” Lopez has been convicted by a federal jury for orchestrating a nurse wage-fixing conspiracy and concealing a federal antitrust investigation during the $10 million sale of his healthcare staffing firm.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Lopez, 46, participated in a conspiracy from March 2016 to May 2019 to cap wages of registered and licensed practical nurses providing in-home care in the Las Vegas area. The scheme involved multiple local staffing agencies and impacted hundreds of healthcare workers.
While under investigation, Lopez proceeded with the $10 million sale of his staffing company. Prosecutors said he failed to disclose the ongoing federal probe to the buyer, violating disclosure obligations and committing fraud in the transaction.
Lopez was found guilty of:
One count of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act for wage-fixing
Five counts of wire fraud, for concealing the investigation during the sale
Violating the Sherman Act can carry up to 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine, while each wire fraud count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.
“Wage-fixing agreements are nakedly unlawful attempts at unjustly profiting off American workers,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail A. Slater of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division. “Today’s verdict sends a clear message: the agreement is the crime.”
Lopez is scheduled to be sentenced on July 14.
