According to court documents filed in U.S. District Court in Miami, Dennis Dopico, of Miami, served as a vice president for a company operating a seafood processing center that sold stone crab claws and spiny lobsters. Between 2023 and 2025, Dopico and competitors conspired to suppress competition by fixing the prices paid to fishermen, thereby artificially depressing the income earned by Florida fishermen for their harvests.
“Criminal conspiracies to deprive hardworking Americans the right to earn a fair wage are untenable in a free society,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Omeed Assefi of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division and its law enforcement partners will work tirelessly to ensure that hardworking Americans are paid competitively for an honest day’s work.”
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida added, “Price fixing cheats fishermen, squeezes restaurants, and makes families pay more at the table.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service emphasized that schemes like this threaten fair competition and the long-term sustainability of fisheries.
Investigators found that Dopico and co-conspirators communicated via text and phone to coordinate pricing strategies. In one example from Sept. 28, 2023, Dopico wrote, “\[d]on’t show text to anyone\[.] Confidential,” to which the co-conspirator replied, “We’re working together now not against each other\[.]” In another instance, Dopico confirmed he would “match” prices suggested by his competitor.
Dopico admitted that approximately \$8 million in commerce was affected by the conspiracy. He pleaded guilty to one felony count of restraining trade in violation of the Sherman Act. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a \$1 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2026.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and prosecuted by the Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal Section, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Anyone with information relevant to this investigation is urged to contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258 or visit [www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations](https://www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations).
