Healthcare exec charged with fixing wages of Las Vegas nurses

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (KOLO) - A healthcare staffing executive has been indicted for fixing the wages of nurses in Las Vegas.

Eduardo Lopez of Las Vegas was charged with one felony count of violating the Sherman Act. He held executive positions at three different health home agencies where he oversaw recruitment, hiring, retention and assignments of nurses and other health care staff.

He and other unnamed co-conspirators are charged with agreeing to suppress and eliminate competition for the services of nurses between March 2016 and May 2019.

The Nevada DOJ alleges Lopez and his co-conspirators participated in a number of meetings and communications in an effort to fix their wages.

“We will continue to partner with the Antitrust Division and the FBI to protect the marketplace and the rights of workers to earn fair wages,” said U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada. “We will investigate and prosecute those who engage in anticompetitive activities.”

Lopez faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $1 million.