Miami Seafood Executive Pleads Guilty in Price-Fixing Scheme

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Northeast Radio SD News – Miami, FL - A vice president for a Miami-based seafood company pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to fix the prices of stone crab claws and spiny lobster, according to a statement from the Department of Justice. Dennis Dopico admitted to working with competing companies to suppress the prices paid to fishermen in Florida, a scheme that ran from 2023 to 2025.

According to court documents, Dopico and his co-conspirators used text messages and calls to coordinate prices they would pay fishermen. Court filings highlight a series of messages that reveal the group's efforts to collaborate and control prices. In one message, Dopico told a co-conspirator, "Let me know what you do. I am matching your prices. It’s the one we like the most."

In his plea agreement, Dopico admitted that his part in the conspiracy accounted for approximately $8 million in commerce.

Dopico pleaded guilty to one felony count of restraining trade by conspiring to fix prices. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine. A federal district court judge is scheduled to determine his sentence on January 5, 2026.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated the case and is being prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.