Owner of DEL Records, Ángel del Villar Found Guilty of Violating Kingpin Act with Sanctioned Music Promoter

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat
 

The CEO of a Latin music conglomerate and his talent agency were found guilty by a jury today of conspiring to violate the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act by conducting business with a recently slain Guadalajara-based concert promoter designated for money laundering for the CJNG cartel and Los Cuinis.

José Ángel Del Villar, 44, of Huntington Beach, California, the CEO of DEL Records and its related talent agency Del Entertainment Inc., was found guilty of 10 counts of violating the Kingpin Act and 1 count of Conspiracy to Transact in Property of Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers in Violation of the Kingpin Act.

Co-defendant Del Entertainment, as a corporate business entity, was also found guilty of all the same 11 counts.

According to evidence presented at a nine-day trial, in April 2018, the defendants did business with Jesús Pérez Alvear, “Chucho,” of Guadalajara, Mexico, a music promoter who controlled Gallistica Diamante, Ticket Premier. Pérez promoted concerts for Del Entertainment in Mexico until March 2019.

The U.S. Treasury Department listed Pérez and his company as “Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers” under the Kingpin Act on April 6, 2018, after concluding he facilitated money laundering for the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and the Los Cuinis drug trafficking organization.

The Kingpin Act prevents people in the United States from conducting business with sanctioned persons and entities.

On April 19, 2018, FBI agents approached singer Gerardo Ortiz, who was a witness at the trial, and explicitly told him about Pérez’s designation under the Kingpin Act and how that prohibited him from conducting business with Pérez and performing concerts that Pérez promoted.

On April 28, 2018, the musician performed at a music concert which Pérez organized. Del Villar’s credit card was used to pay for a private jet that brought the musician from Van Nuys Airport to the performance in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

On multiple other occasions in 2018 and 2019, Pérez and Del Villar continued to do business by arranging for Ortiz to perform at concerts in Mexico, including Mexicali and San José Iturbide, Guanajuato.

Even though Del Villar and Del Entertainment were aware that it was illegal to engage in transactions or dealings with "Chucho", they willfully did business with him by continuing to have a Del Entertainment musical artist perform at concerts in which Pérez and Del Entertainment had a financial interest.

At one point, Del Records even drafted a press release “stating the company had ‘no choice; but to ‘obey U.S. law and not allow the bookings of any of my shows to individuals the Dept. of Treasury has deemed sanctioned,'” but it was never sent out.

“Brian Gutierrez found out about the designation of "Chucho" Pérez [as a drug trafficker], and he began his scheme of manipulation,” defense attorney Goldberg claimed. She added that Gutierrez allegedly nixed the press release that would’ve announced that Ortiz would not be performing at the 2018 Feria de San Marcos.

“It was Brian who put a stop to that press release,” Goldberg claimed. “Instead, he convinced everyone to just, ‘Leave it to me. I’ll contact the lawyers. I’m gonna make sure everything we do going forward is acceptable.’”

"Chucho" Pérez, who previously cut a deal and pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Transact in Property of Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers in 2023, was murdered in Mexico in December 2024.

“The defendants here chose to get into business with an individual they knew had ties to the CJNG and had been designated a narcotics trafficker under the Kingpin Act,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph McNally. “Cartels and transnational criminal organizations cause immeasurable harm to our country. We are using every tool to eliminate these organizations and will prosecute those that do business with cartels.”

On March 19th, Gerardo Ortiz testified in Los Angeles court. The “Para Qué Lastimarme” singer admitted in court that he performed at the 2018 Feria de San Marcos in Aguascalientes, Mexico, despite already being made aware of Pérez Alvear’s status, according to Univision.

Ortiz, who was signed under Del Records from 2009 to 2019, has already pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy in the case and is cooperating with U.S. officials.

United States District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong scheduled an August 15 sentencing hearing, at which time Del Villar will face a statutory maximum sentence of 30-years in federal prison for each count. Del Entertainment will face a sentence of five years of probation and a fine of $10 million for each count.

Del Villar is currently free on $100,000 bond pending his sentencing. Outside of the courtroom following the verdict he said, “I waited five years for this, I'm calm,” he told those present after emphasizing that he didn't seem “worried.”

Last month, Del Villar quietly married singer Cheli Madrid tied the knot in a civil ceremony on February 27. However, it wasn't until this week, on March 23 that the newlyweds decided to make their wedding public via Instagram.

Co-defendant Luca Scalisi, 58, of West Hollywood, has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in this case and is scheduled to be tried separately in July 2025.

Prosecutors in the case claimed that it was Del Villar who had persuaded Ortiz to go against the FBI’s warning to the musician to stop working with Pérez Alvear. The CEO was allegedly incentivized to advise this due to the money he would get from the music promoter’s successful showcases.

Sources DOJ, Univision, Borderland Beat, Borderland Beat, LA Times, LA Times