CASE BACKGROUND
Florida’s Fisheries are of great economic, social, and cultural importance to the state. Commercial and recreational fishing supported $24.6 billion in economic activity in 2022 alone, with stone crab and spiny lobster standing out as the backbone of the state’s commercial seafood economy. These two products account for more than 40% of the total value of all Florida commercial landings. They are the economic lifeblood of many communities, supporting jobs in shipbuilding and maintenance, marinas, restaurants, marine equipment, retail stores, and many other statewide industries.
From at least as early as June 2017 through April 2025, and prior to the commencement of the fishing season for spiny lobsters stone crabs, defendants D&D Seafood Corporation, Keys Fisheries, Inc., and co-conspirators, allegedly agreed upon the initial prices they would pay fishermen for each pound of these products brought to dock. Defendants then coordinated throughout the season to adjust prices in lockstep. If any purchasers offered fishermen prices above the agreed-upon fixed price, those purchasers faced various repercussions from defendants and co-conspirators.
This alleged conduct prevented fishermen from benefiting from market competition and accrued solely to the benefit of defendants and co-conspirators. Consequently, many Florida fishermen have sustained devastating economic consequences which, because of the impact of the commercial fishing industry on Florida’s overall economy, has significant and far-reaching impacts on Florida as a whole.
Defendants’ alleged price fixing conspiracy was executed against the backdrop of a severe, decade-long decline in statewide stone crab landings that created a supply crisis beginning in 2012. This well-documented supply shortage should have resulted in record-high dockside prices for fishermen as a basic function of supply and demand. Yet the conspiracy’s effects were so pervasive that they crushed competitive pricing even in regions experiencing broader economic booms. The alleged conspiracy imposed an artificial price ceiling on stone crabs and spiny lobsters, forcing fishermen to sell their catch at suppressed prices dictated by the cartel, thereby severing them from the benefits of their own region’s flourishing market.
By artificially suppressing dockside prices, defendants allegedly ensured that revenues often failed to cover the high and rising costs of fuel, bait, and equipment. This created a powerful disincentive to fish that threatened the livelihood of fishing families and the economic health of coastal communities, inflicting widespread harm on fishermen across Florida.
Defendants’ concealment of their alleged conspiracy ended no earlier than September 16, 2025, when the United States Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division announced that Dennis Dopico, Seafood Corporation’s Vice President, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a one-count Information filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The Information charged Dopico with participating in a conspiracy to suppress and eliminate competition by fixing the prices paid to fishermen for stone crab claws and spiny lobsters harvested in Florida from at least as early as July 2023 through in or around April 2025, in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1.
