Videos:California FBI agents raid offices of Ángel del Villar, Del Records claim it is concerning Gerardo Ortiz

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Friday, the FBI executed four search warrants signed by a federal judge to investigate DEL Records and other businesses of Del Villar, who has been a producer for Gerardo Ortiz and Luis Coronel. Click on images to enlarge

The FBI executed four orders signed by a federal judge on Friday and entered the offices of DEL Records, the record company of Ángel del Villar, who is the ex partner of  Chiquis Rivera, dauhgter of the late Jenni Rivera who died in a plane crash in Mexico.

The events occurred at the DEL Records headquarters, located at 6400 Garfield Avenue, in Los Angeles County, California. According to Miguel Luna, FBI special agent, there have been no arrests so far.

Del Villar, who was a partner with Chiquis for  four years, has produced performers such as Régulo Caro, Gerardo Ortiz and Luis Coronel, among others, who signed with DEL Records.

Heavily armed officers entered the company. In addition, it emerged that the police were also in a restaurant of the producer.

There have long been rumors that DEL Records is actually a facade for laundering money that comes from drug trafficking.

What did Ángel del Villar do while the FBI searched his businesses?

While everyone was surprised by the search, the producer shared on social networks that he continued with his daily activities. He even went to eat a hamburger while the searches were taking place.

Variety:

Del Records is in a high-profile legal dispute with Gerardo Ortiz, a norteño singer-songwriter famous for his narco ballads. In 2019, Del Records sued the singer, alleging that he had insisted on being paid for performances in cash so as to evade taxes. The suit also stated that Ortiz had long had problems with the Internal Revenue Service, and that the label had once had to lend him money to pay his back taxes.

The label also claimed that Ortiz had performed a show in Mexico for an alleged trafficker, which drew the attention of the U.S. government.

In a statement on Friday, the label said that the investigation was related to Ortiz.

Ortiz issued a statement through his company, Badsin Entertainment, claiming that the agents had also searched the home of the label’s CEO, Jose Angel del Villar.

“To our knowledge the search by the FBI at Del Records office and Mr. Del Villar’s home does not involve Mr. Ortiz,” Ortiz’s company said.

Del Records’ representative could not confirm or deny whether Del Villar’s home was searched. An FBI spokeswoman confirmed that a home in Huntington Beach was searched, but declined to say who lives there. Public records, however, link the address to Del Villar.

Ortiz filed his own complaint against Del Villar and Del Records in 2019, accusing the label of underpaying him by millions of dollars. The singer claimed that the label had engaged in fraudulent accounting practices, and had failed to account for hundreds of shows.