DOJ Secures First Jury Conviction In Criminal Wage-Fixing Case In Nevada

In an historic jury verdict on April 14, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division secured its first-ever jury conviction for criminal wage-fixing in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act. For several years, the DOJ Antitrust Division had suffered a string of setbacks—with judges and juries alike—in its effort to criminally prosecute wage-fixing and "no poach" agreements between competitors in the labor market. But a federal jury in Las Vegas, Nevada, reversed that trend by convicting Eduardo Lopez for his involvement in a three-year conspiracy to fix the wages of home healthcare nurses in the Las Vegas area, among other crimes.

The jury's verdict—which followed a 15-day trial—could have significant implications for business leaders and in-house counsel, particularly in the health care sector where the DOJ has focused much of its criminal wage-fixing enforcement efforts. In short, companies that participate in competitive local labor markets