Record producer Ángel del Villar, known for launching the careers of Mexican music artists such as Gerardo Ortiz and the group Eslabón Armado, and ex-fiancé of artist Chiquis, was sentenced to four years in prison for conspiring to conduct financial transactions with a designated drug trafficker, in violation of the U.S. Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, commonly known as the Kingpin Act.
Although the crime carries a maximum sentence of 30 years, Del Villar received 48 months in a federal penitentiary, which will begin in December.
The case centers on a series of concerts organized between 2018 and 2019. During these concerts, Del Villar's company, Del Records, allegedly worked with Jesús "Chucho" Pérez Alvear, a Guadalajara-based concert promoter who had been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for laundering money for the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG) and its financial wing, Los Cuinis.
A pivotal moment in the trial came when Gerardo Ortiz, a chart-topping regional Mexican music singer and former Del Records artist, took the stand. Ortiz testified that Del Villar tricked him into performing at events organized by Pérez Alvear, notably the 2018 San Marcos Fair in Aguascalientes, even after the promoter had been blacklisted by the U.S. government under the Kingpin Act.
Ortiz had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to the same case. According to the Department of Justice, Ortiz's cooperation was voluntary, and his legal team emphasized that he had not admitted to working directly with drug cartels, but had unknowingly done business with a promoter later found to have ties to them.
Ortiz told the jury he saw Pérez Alvear at the Del Records office in Los Angeles several times, where the promoter reportedly recruited bands for concerts in Mexico. His testimony described a business relationship deeply intertwined with criminal elements.
Since being found guilty in March of this year, Del Villar has remained free on $100,000 bail.
