Gerardo Ortiz appeared on Wednesday before a federal court in Los Angeles to testify against his former boss and CEO of del Records Angel del Villar.
The musical executive appears before the court for accusations Trace until 2022 alleging that he had violated a federal law which prohibits residents and American companies from doing business with known drug traffickers and their associates.
As part of the criminal complaint filed three years ago, it was alleged that the Actiz had been approached by an FBI agent in 2018 at Phoenix airport who informed him that his Music Entertainment Music promoter Jesus “Chucho” Pérez Alvear would have had links with criminal organizations in Mexico.
Treasury officials said at the time that Pérez Alvear had whitened money for the cartel of Jalisco Nueva Generacion and a related traffic group, Los Cuinis.
Ortiz was advisable not to do business with Pérez Alvear because he had been punished by American officials as a “specially designated drug trafficker”.
The suspect was admitted to the court. Unification.
Ortiz, which was signed under Del Records from 2009 to 2019, has already pleaded guilty to accusations of conspiracy concerning the case and now cooperates with US officials.
Pérez Alvear was killed by gunshots In a Mexico City restaurant in December 2024.
Del Villar, which founded Del Records in 2008, is accused of having violated the law on King-Pavés by its involvement with Pérez Alvear. The law prohibits anyone in the United States from concluding agreements or transactions with persons or companies sanctioned by the Treasury Department.
Marissa Goldberg, the defense lawyer for Del Villar, allegedly allegedly allegedly alleged the court that her client had been deceived by her former employee Brian Gutierrez to believe that her company was fully legally operated. In addition, she said that Gutierrez had worked with FBI officials to “make a Gotcha situation to eliminate someone they perceived Roller.
The prosecutors said it was Del Villar who had persuaded Ortiz to go against the FBI warning to the musician to stop working with Pérez Alvear. The CEO would have been encouraged to advise this due to the money he would obtain from the successful showcases of the music promoter.
“Brian Gutierrez discovered the designation of Chucho Pérez (as a drug trafficker), and he started his manipulation plan,” said Goldberg. She added that Gutierrez would have rejected a press release which would have announced that Provision would not occur at the 2018 Feria of San Marcos.
By Times reportsDel Villar employees wrote a press release at the time, declaring that the company had “no choice” that “to obey American law and not to authorize the reservations of my programs to individuals that the Treasury Department was deemed sanctioned.”
The press release was never distributed, but the American agents used a search warrant to obtain the project later.
“It was Brian who put an end to this press release,” said Goldberg. “Instead, he convinced everyone to simply: 'Leave me. I will contact the lawyers. I will make sure that everything we do in the future is acceptable.'”
Del Records was once in a bitter quarrel with Ortiz, originally from Pasadena, who was arrested in Mexico for a “criminal exaltation” to have appeared in a clip which portrays the mistress of a linked drug lord, gagged and stuffed in the trunk of a car, which is then set in fire.
Ortiz and Del Villar continued in 2019, a merchant accusations of fraud and other misconduct. When The FBI attacked the offices of Bell Gardens of the label in 2020A spokesman said the agents were only looking for files concerning Ortiz.
The Times contacted the representatives of Ortiz and the Dellar legal team to comment.
Times Matthew Ormseth journalist contributed to this report.
