Gerardo Ortiz cooperated with the FBI and US authorities in the case of producer Ángel del Villar; The corrido singer himself had pleaded guilty to having sung at concerts organized by the alleged CJNG money launderer.
Mexico City, November 20 (However).– The singer American of narcocorridos, César Gerardo Ortiz Medinabetter known as Gerardo Ortizhe will not step into jail: he was sentenced a three years probation and one millionaire fine after plead guilty if there is sung in several concerts that he organized in Mexico Angel del Villarare exrepresentante and a promotor musical that he Treasury Department of USA (EU), sanctioned in 2018 for allegedly laundering money from Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Therefore, Gerardo Ortiz, 35 years old and originally from Pasadena, California, must pay a fine of 1.5 million dollars (about 27.5 million pesos) and received a light sentence, after cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI, for its acronym in English), in the case of the owner of the record label From Recordswho was being tried in Los Angeles Federal Court, for a related accusation.
Del Villar was arrested in June 2022, along with Luca Scalisi, financial director of Del Entertainment. Gerardo Ortiz had pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy for violating the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act), which allows the US government to impose sanctions on foreign individuals and entities involved in international narcotics trafficking.
Upon leaving the courts in California, Gerardo Ortiz told the media: “I apologize to the public for all this that has happened. Too many lies have been told. We were there, singing at the event, they saw YouTube videos, photos, that show was done, it was impossible to say no, that show was done, we were in Aguascalientes.”
Furthermore, he reiterated that “many lies have been told about his case. The truth is that we were present sharing our music with the public and that’s all.”
But the US Department of Justice (DOJ) indicated that Del Villar would have associated with the concert promoter, Jesús Pérez Alvear, alias “Chucho Pérez” or “El Zar del Palenque”, organizer of dances, palenques and former representative of group artists, former brother-in-law of Abigael González Valencia, alias “El Cuini” – leader of the criminal group “Los Cuinis”, partners and administrators of the financial resources of the CJNG -, and the company Gallística Diamante, identified for their alleged links with said Jalisco cartel.
Del Villar, sentenced in the US for links to the CJNG
In August, music producer Ángel del Villar was sentenced to four years in prison for links to organized crime, announced the United States Department of Justice. According to US authorities, del Villar violated the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, which prohibits individuals and companies in this country from doing business with known drug traffickers and their associates.
The sentence occurs after the testimony of Gerardo Ortiz was presented at the musician’s trial.
Ortiz was questioned for his relationship to organized crime due to corridos such as “El Ivansillo”, a song that would be inspired by Iván Archivaldo Guzmán, son of “El Chapo”, as well as the songs “Polo Ochoa”, “Recordando a Manuel” and “Palma Salazar”, among others.
Del Villar was arrested in June 2022 along with Luca Scalisi, financial director of Del Entertainment. The authorities accused them of negotiating with people sanctioned by the US Government. The Mexican music producer was executive director of Del Records, one of the most important Mexican record labels in the United States and which produced “She dances alone”, a song that catapulted Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija, better known as Peso Pluma, to fame.
Del Villar is the first businessman of this musical genre to be prosecuted in the United States for violating the Kingpin Act and must pay a fine of two million dollars, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) detailed in a statement.