U.S. v. Faysal Kalayaf Manahe, et al.

From at least as early as April 2020 and continuing until as late as May 2020, the defendants and unnamed others entered a conspiracy to fix the wage rates paid to PSS workers and agreed not to hire each other’s PSS workers. The conspiracy affected essential healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, when PSS workers provided crucial services to their communities at the risk of their own health. Shortly before the agreement to fix wages was reached, MaineCare increased the Medicaid reimbursement rate to PSS agencies. This increase aimed to provide PSS workers higher hourly wages in order to afford N-95 masks, gloves, and other protective equipment necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic.