Assefi emphasized a shift toward aggressive criminal prosecution, noting that the Division obtained 37 corporate and individual convictions in fiscal year 2025. He highlighted that prison days imposed more than doubled compared to the prior fiscal year, marking a departure from relying on financial settlements as a primary metric of success.
The Acting AAG pointed to the conviction of Eduardo Lopez, CEO of a home healthcare staffing agency, as a landmark achievement. A federal jury in Las Vegas found Lopez guilty of fixing the wages of his own nurses, resulting in 40 months in prison and more than $13 million in penalties. The Ninth Circuit recently denied Lopez’s motion for bail pending appeal, and he began serving his sentence in March 2026.
Assefi also referenced the Transmigrante case, where a cartel operating across the U.S.-Mexico border was dismantled after members used violence to enforce price-fixing and extortion schemes. Additionally, the Procurement Collusion Strike Force secured a conviction against Jasen Butler in January 2026 for defrauding the U.S. military on fuel contracts, resulting in a 34-felony verdict.
On the civil side, Assefi touted the settlement with Live Nation as a historic milestone for structural relief. The agreement requires Ticketmaster to allow rival ticketers to sell tickets, caps service fees at 15%, and forces the divestiture of control over many amphitheaters. The Acting AAG described this as a move to free the concert ticketing ecosystem from monopoly power and lower prices for consumers.
The speech also covered ongoing civil enforcement, including a lawsuit filed against OhioHealth targeting anticompetitive restraints in healthcare contracts that Assefi argued raise prices for patients. The Division is also pursuing a public inquiry, alongside the FTC, into whether to reinstate and revise Competitor Collaboration Guidelines withdrawn in December 2024.
Assefi concluded by highlighting the Division’s expanded use of statements of interest in federal courts, including recent filings on common shareholdings and the intersection of intellectual property and antitrust law. He stressed that these policy efforts aim to provide predictability for businesses while maintaining a vigorous enforcement agenda against lawbreakers.