Gerardo Ortiz Pleads Guilty in Del Records Criminal Trial – Here’s What We Know
Mexican singer Gerardo Ortiz performs during the Arre Music Festival in Mexico City, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
Gerardo Ortiz has testified at the criminal trial against Del Records’ CEO Ángel Del Villar. After Villar was arrested by FBI agents for violating the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act in June 2022, Ortiz — who was involved in the claim — pleaded guilty and testified against Del Villar. The trial is taking place at the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, CA.
On June 14, 2022, Del Villar and DEL Entertainment’s CFO Luca Scalisi were charged with “conspiring to violate the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act,” as stated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. This was due to their alleged business with a Guadalajara-based concert promoter connected to Mexican drug cartels. Mexican media outlets indicate the linkage was to the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG) and Los Cuinis.
The Mexican music promoter in question was Jesus Perez Alvear of Gallistica Diamente, aka Ticket Premier, who previously promoted DEL Entertainment in Mexico until 2019. According to the same report, Perez and Gallistica Diamente were at the time actively listed as “Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers” under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, which specifically prohibits people from the U.S. from working with them.
The complaint report cited that FBI agents told a “well-known musician” that Perez was under the Kingpin Act and that it “prohibited him from conducting business with Perez and performing concerts that Perez promoted” on April 19, 2018. Regardless of the complaint, the artist performed at a concert organized by Perez on April 28, 2018. Though it was speculated that the artist was Ortiz, we now know it was in fact him.
Fast forward to this week, Ortiz testified against Del Villar and pleaded guilty. He confessed he performed at the Apr. 2018 festival organized by Perez after being warned by the FBI to stop performing at events organized by the latter. Although we don’t know what Ortiz will be charged with, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Schwab said that the Mexican singer would be “cooperating with [investigators] in this case, and he hopes that his cooperation will be taken into account at the time that he’s sentenced,” on Tuesday (Mar. 18).
Moreover, per Rolling Stone, prosecutors allege that Del Villar convinced Ortiz to ignore the FBI warning. They also said that he performed 19 more concerts for Perez. Perez, who also pleaded guilty in 2023 and was cooperating with the FBI, was killed in 2024.
Del Villar’s defense lawyer, on the other hand, alleges that the company’s vice president Brian Gutierrez is the one to blame. According to Rolling Stone, the defense lawyer said that Gutierrez “convinced” Del Villar that “everything” the company was doing was legal. The defense lawyer also claims that although Gutierrez was in compliance with the FBI, he is not to be trusted. She alleges that he helped the authorities “manufacture a gotcha situation to take down someone they perceived to be on top.”
