DEL Records CEO Ángel del Villar Gets Four Years for Violating Kingpin Sanctions

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

José Ángel del Villar, Producer and CEO of the record label Del Entertainment, was sentenced in the United States to 4 years in prison for doing business with a Mexican concert promoter with ties to the CJNG.

Ángel del Villar, who was also singer Gerardo Ortiz's former manager, violated the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, for which he was also fined $2 million.

After the trial ended last March, which included Gerardo Ortiz's testimony about having been deceived by Del Villar, he was found guilty of doing business with Jesús Pérez Alvear's Gallística Diamante company. This was after the company and Alvear was sanctioned by the Treasury Department for facilitating money laundering for the CJNG and its financial arm, Los Cuinis.

The four-year sentence is less than what was sought by federal prosecutors, who argued that Del Villar should get 78 months (6.5 years) in prison. Lawyers for del Villar argued that the feds were trying to “single out Mr. Del Villar for extra punishment” and “make an example” of him.

Del Entertainment Fined

In addition to the four year prison term, the judge ordered Del Villar to pay a $2 million fine. His company, Del Entertainment, was sentenced to 3 years probation and a $1.8 million fine. 

Founded by Del Villar in 2008, Del Records was home to música mexicana supergroup Eslabon Armado, whose global hit, “Ella Baila Sola” with Peso Pluma, became one of the biggest songs of 2023, as well as Lenin Ramirez and other chart-topping artists.

But in June 2022, Del Villar, 41; CFO Luca Scalisi, 56; and Del Records itself were all charged with conspiring to violate the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act.

Prosecutors alleged that Del Villar repeatedly arranged concerts with Jesus Pérez Alvear, a promoter with ties to Mexican cartels. When he was added to the sanctions list in 2018, the Treasury Dept. said Pérez Alvear had helped cartels “exploit the Mexican music industry to launder drug proceeds and glorify their criminal activities.”

Del Villar and Scalisi allegedly used Pérez Alvear to arrange four Mexican concerts for a then undisclosed Del Records artist, then accepted nearly $200,000 in payments from him, all while aware that he had been sanctioned. 

Charging documents cite an unreleased Del Records press release acknowledging the sanctioned status, as well as private messages in which Scalisi noted that Pérez Alvear was “under homeland security watch” and Del Villar was directly told that the promoter was “a sanctioned U.S. person.”

At the March trial, superstar singer Gerardo Ortiz took the stand to testify against Del Villar, saying he had seen Pérez Alvear at the Del Records offices and had himself performed at one of the promoter’s concerts. 

Both reportedly received $1.5 million for performances in Mexico organized in conjunction with Gallística Diamante.

CJNG Concert Promoter Sanctioned

According to court documents, in April 2018, Ángel del Villar negotiated with promoter Jesús Pérez Alvear, also known as "Chuco," originally from Guadalajara, Jalisco, who promoted concerts for Del Entertainment in Mexico until March 2019.

However, on April 6, 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned Pérez Alvear and his company under the Kingpin Act, concluding that he facilitated money laundering for the CJNG and Los Cuinis, which prevents U.S. citizens from doing business with them.

Authorities say del Villar and his company knew it was illegal to make deals with the promoter but decided to do so. US authorities had approached Gerardo Ortiz to notify him that the concert promoter was being sanctioned. 

During the trial, del Villar’s defense attorneys argued that he had been “manipulated” into working with Pérez Alvear by a “trusted” former employee who is currently a nearby city councilman. 

His defense attorney looked to place the blame on the former employee who, according to opening statements by US prosecutors, provided information to the FBI about the concerts.

That employee later sued del Villar for wrongful termination after being fired for providing information to the FBI after their offices were raided and del Villar and Scalisco were arrested.

Bell Gardens City Proclamation

Two months prior to the March 2025 trial of Angel Del Villar, was presented with a proclamation from the city of Bell Gardens, which Del records has been headquartered out of since 2008. The proclamation was in remembrance of the 10th anniversary of the passing of musical artist Ariel Camacho, Del Villar accepted it in his honor.

The award followed not long after an event held with the record company's support providing food to firefighters, first responders and police during the Los Angeles fires in January 2025.

Currently, despite the entertainment division being fined $1.8 million and placed on three years probation, the company Del Records is still in operation. The former Bell Gardens councilwoman and mayor pro tem who advocated for the proclamation lists herself on Instagram as the Government Affairs Director.

Gerardo Ortiz Testifies

In April 2018, FBI agents approached musician Gerardo Ortiz to warn him about the designation of the concert promotion company, but days later he performed at a concert organized by Pérez in Aguascalientes, where the promoter's credit card was used to pay for Ortiz' private jet.

The indictment against Ortiz was filed on April 10, 2024. However, the FBI avoided bringing him to trial and allowed him to plead guilty and agree to testify against del Villar. "Ortiz admitted to the FBI that he was pressured to continue the events," the case file states, even after being warned of the legal risks involved in collaborating with an company sanctioned for ties to organized crime.

Both Pérez and del Villar are accused of continuing to negotiate in 2018 and 2019 for the singer to perform concerts in other Mexican states.

Co-defendant Luca Scalisi, 59, the record company's CFO, pleaded guilty on May 23, 2025 to one count of conspiracy to transact in property of specially designated narcotics traffickers in violation of the Kingpin Act. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 22, 2025.

Murder in Mexico

Jesús "Chuco" Pérez was murdered in Mexico in December 2024 at a restaurant inside Plaza Miyana, located in the Polanco area of Mexico City. Pérez Alvear was the husband of Berenice González Valencia, sister of "El Cuini" and Rosalinda González Valencia.

It came out after his killing that he had previously pleaded guilty in the US the year previous and he was expected to testify at the upcoming trials alongside Ortiz.

Del Records Rapper Sanctioned

In recent weeks, the U.S. Treasury Department listed another recording artist affiliated with del Villar’s music businesses as a “specially designated narcotics trafficker” under the Kingpin Act.

Narco-rapper Ricardo Hernández Medrano, known by his stage names “El Makabelico” or “Comando Exclusivo,” was added to the sanctions list based on the Treasury Department’s determination that he used concerts and royalties to launder funds for the Cartel del Noreste (CDN), formerly known as Los Zetas.

According to the U.S. Treasury, the rapper split 50% of his song royalties with the cartel and used his platform to promote their activities. YouTube and other streaming platforms have since removed his accounts and songs.

Sources DOJ, Infobae, Borderland Beat

Categories: angel del villar, CJNG, del records, gerardo ortiz, narco corridos