A Huntington Beach resident who heads a Latin music conglomerate and talent agency was found guilty Thursday, March 27 of conducting business with a Mexican concert promoter who had ties to Mexican drug cartels, federal authorities said.
José Ángel Del Villar, 44, of Huntington Beach, the CEO of Del Records and its talent agency Del Entertainment Inc., was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to transact in property of specially designated narcotics traffickers in violation of the Kingpin Act, and 10 counts of violating the Kingpin Act.
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The Kingpin Act prevents people in the United States from conducting business with sanctioned persons and entities, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Del Entertainment, a co-defendant, also was found guilty of all 11 counts of which Del Villar was convicted.
Prosecutors said Del Villar and his co-defendants conducted business in Guadalajara, Mexico with music promoter Jesús Pérez Alvear, who was listed as a “specially designated narcotics trafficker” on April 6, 2018 by the U.S. Treasury Department. Perez, who went by the nickname Chucho, controlled Gallistica Diamante, also known as Ticket Premier, and promoted concerts for Del Villar’s Del Entertainment until March 2019, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Pérez facilitated money laundering for the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and the Los Cuinis drug trafficking organization, according to prosecutors. Though Del Villar and Del Entertainment knew it was illegal to engage in transactions or dealings with Pérez, they continued to do so, the release said.
“Cartels and transnational criminal organizations cause immeasurable harm to our country,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally said in a statement. “We are using every tool to eliminate these organizations and will prosecute those that do business with cartels.”
Del Villar is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 15 and faces a maximum sentence of 30 years for each count. His talent agency also faces five years probation and a fine of $10 million for each count, officials said.
Perez was murdered in Mexico in December 2024. He previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transact in property of specially designated narcotics traffickers, prosecutors said.
Another co-defendant, Luca Scalisi, 58, of West Hollywood, pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against him. He is scheduled to be tried separately in July 2025.
