4 Maine men found not guilty of conspiring to fix wages

PORTLAND (WGME) -- A federal jury in Portland acquitted four men for conspiring to fix wages for their workers.

The men, all members of Maine’s Iraqi community and all owners or managers of home healthcare agencies, were accused violating the Sherman Antitrust Act by fixing wages and agreeing not to hire each other's workers to eliminate competition.

The Department of Justice sent prosecutors from California and New York to work on the case.

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On Wednesday, the jury reached a unanimous not guilty verdict for all four men.

In a statement, one of their lawyers said:

“It was grossly unfair that our clients were prosecuted for a technical violation that the evidence did not support. The jury clearly understood that, and our clients are grateful to have been vindicated."