Mexican-American singer Gerardo Ortiz will serve three years of probation after testifying against Ángel del Villar, CEO of Del Records, whom federal prosecutors linked to the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel.
In March, Del Villar was found guilty of violating the Kingpin Act, a federal law that prohibits American residents and companies from doing business with known drug traffickers and their associates. he was sentenced to four years in federal prison and a fine of 2 million dollars. However, Del Villar remains free while he appeals his conviction.
Ortiz also pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges linked to the case and was sentenced to three years of probation on November 19. He will also pay a fine, but the amount has not been confirmed, his publicist said in an email to The Times.
“First of all, I want to apologize to my fans for everything that happened,” Ortiz said. “We hope to continue moving forward.”
Within that statement, the “Mañana Voy a Conquistarla” singer also promoted his new album, “El Ejemplar,” which came out one day after his sentencing on November 20.
The federal court records against Del Villar date back to 2022after federal authorities accused the record label mogul and his company of doing business with Jesús Pérez Alvear, a Guadalajara-based music promoter who also called himself “Chucho.”
The Treasury Department had previously sanctioned Pérez Alvear, who they said laundered drug money for CJNG and a related drug trafficking group. The Cuinis.
in the same complaint 2022It was also alleged that a “well-known musician,” now identified as Mexican music star Ortiz, was approached by an FBI agent on April 19, 2018 at the Phoenix airport. The official informed the hitman about Pérez Alvear's alleged connection with criminal organizations in Mexico and prohibited Ortiz from conducting future business with him.
Despite the warning, Ortiz admitted to performing on April 28, 2018 at the San Marcos Fair in Aguascalientes, Mexico, organized by Pérez Alvear. Del Villar's credit card was used to purchase the flight.
“We were there singing at that event, everyone saw it on YouTube, they saw photos. For the fans who were there that day it was impossible to say no. That show happened, we were there in Aguascalientes and that's it. I have nothing more to say,” Ortiz said after his sentencing. “Were there lies? Many things have been said, but that is the truth. We were there singing at that concert, we were there, sharing a little of our music with the public.”
Prosecutors claimed that it was Del Villar who convinced Ortiz to ignore the FBI's warning while seeking to profit from the promoter's presentations. On several occasions in 2018 and 2019, authorities said, Pérez Alvear and Del Villar continued to do business by arranging for Ortiz to perform at concerts throughout Mexico.
Pérez Alvear promoted concerts for Del Entertainment in Mexico until March 2019. In December 2024He was shot to death in a restaurant in Mexico City.
Prior to this case, Del Records was at one point in a dispute with Ortiz, a Pasadena native who was once arrested in Mexico on a charge of “criminal exaltation” for appearing in a music video depicting a drug dealer's mistress bound, gagged and stuffed in the trunk of a car, which Ortiz then set on fire.
Ortiz and Del Villar sued each other in 2019, trading accusations of fraud and other misconduct. When the FBI raided the record label's Bell Gardens offices in 2020, a spokesperson said agents were only looking for records related to Ortiz.
Times reporter Matthew Ormseth, Carlos de Loera and Brittny Mejía contributed to this report.
