LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A local health care staffing executive has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly conspiring to fix the wages of Las Vegas nurses.
Eduardo Lopez, who was indicted Wednesday on one felony count for violating the Sherman Act, held executive positions at three different home health agencies, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.
Lopez oversaw recruitment, hiring, retention, and assignment of nurses and other health care staff. According to the release, Lopez and other unnamed “co-conspirators are charged with agreeing to suppress and eliminate competition for the services of nurses between March 2016 and May of 2109.” It’s alleged Lopez had a series of meetings and communications to fix nurses’ wages.
“Wage fixing is a crime that deprives workers of hard-earned wages,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division will be vigilant in protecting workers.”
A violation of the Sherman Act carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine for individuals and a maximum penalty of a $100 million fine for corporations.