Gerardo Ortiz Betrayed His Former Manager to Avoid Jail

Surrounded by automobiles that looked like armored vehicles and people who looked like hitmen in the music video, the Californian was sending a message on behalf of one of the organization’s most violent and powerful operatives: Roberto Ruiz Velasco, known as El Doble R, leader of the cartel’s Elite Group.

A year later, the singer pleaded guilty to having financial involvement with the same cartel he sang about, but he pointed the finger at José Ángel del Villar, his former manager, as the person truly responsible, thus avoiding prison.

Court documents in MILENIO’s possession reveal that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) managed to use Gerardo Ortiz as a witness against Del Villar, the CEO of Del Records, during his trial for financial involvement with a criminal organization. This was in exchange for a deal that would allow him a reduced sentence, perhaps even avoid jail time, and allow him to finish his trial as a free man.

Such is his trust that Ortiz Medina already has at least one concert scheduled days after his sentencing.

What was Gerardo Ortiz’s relationship with the CJNG money laundering network?

The singer, famous for his narco corridos, was at the center of the case led by the US investigative agency for a series of concerts Ortiz held in Mexico in 2018, represented by Del Records, in coordination with a Mexican company named by the Treasury for laundering money for the Jalisco Cartel: Gallística Diamante.

In April 2018, the US Treasury Department designated Jesús Pérez Alvear, alias Chucho Pérez, and his company, Gallística Diamante and/or Ticket Premier, as a front for money laundering for the CJNG.

As part of the case, the FBI arrested popular producer José Ángel del Villar in June 2022 and accused him of conducting business with an organization designated under the Kingpin Act against drug lords. Luca Scalisi, chief financial officer of Del Records, was also arrested.

Without directly mentioning Ortiz, the FBI detailed the series of concerts, which began with the San Marcos Fair in Aguascalientes in 2018.

From collaborating with drug traffickers to testifying for the FBI: this is how he betrayed his former manager

According to the prosecution, for all the concerts, Ortiz and Del Records received a total of one and a half million dollars, approximately 30 million pesos.

It wasn’t until April 10, 2024, that the FBI filed the formal charge against the Mexican, without having to send him to prison or threaten a trial.

This was because on May 28 of that same year, just over a month later, Ortiz pleaded guilty before Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong to conducting prohibited monetary transactions with an entity designated as a significant foreign drug trafficker, namely Gallística Diamante.

Ortiz was able to face the plea bargain and his sentencing after posting bail of $10,000, approximately 200,000 pesos. He also agreed to serve as a witness in the prosecution of his former manager, José Ángel del Villar, in March of this year, after which he was found guilty of the charges against him.

As part of his testimony, Ortiz chose to play the role of his own manager’s victim, pointing the finger at him for insisting that the concerts go ahead despite the fact that just a week before the events, FBI agents had warned Ortiz at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in Arizona that he could get into trouble if he participated in the event.

“The reality is that Ortiz had canceled his flight and Del Records’ publicist was preparing a press release explaining his absence from the concert in Aguascalientes when the defendant (Del Villar) intervened to ensure that he would perform as planned,” the prosecution stated, based on the singer’s testimony.

One Step Away from Sentencing

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has formally requested, through a sentencing memorandum, that José Ángel del Villar be sentenced to 78 months in prison, or six and a half years, and ordered to pay a $300,000 fine for his involvement with the firm linked to the Jalisco Cartel.

His sentencing is scheduled for August 15, in federal court in Los Angeles, California, before Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong.

Gerardo Ortiz alluded to El Mencho in his corridos:

In its memorandum, the prosecution criticized Del Villar for having decided to deny responsibility and go to trial, compared to others, such as Jessica Johanna Oseguera González, alias La Negra, identified as the daughter of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, aka El Mencho, the leader and founder of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. She was accused of participating in companies that benefited from the criminal activities of her father.

Jessica Oseguera González decided to plead guilty to the charges, avoiding trial, and instead received only a 30-month prison sentence, for which she is now free.

“The defendant (Del Villar), in contrast, placed the entire burden of prosecution on the government during the trial and was the leader or organizer of extensive criminal conduct. His sentence should, therefore, be considerably higher to reflect those aggravating factors.”

Gerardo Ortiz Makes Pact with the FBI and Is Already Planning Concerts

Gerardo Ortiz’s sentencing was set for November 19th, in the same federal court and with the same judge. He signed his plea agreement with the prosecutor’s office and served as a witness for the authorities in bringing down the man who once positioned him as one of the most important regional Mexican music artists on the international scene.

The well-known narco ballad singer, who dedicated lyrics to the Jalisco Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, was subdued by Washington and is so confident that he has a concert scheduled for November 23rd at the Payne Arena in Hidalgo, Texas.

Source: Milenio