Latest news with #KingpinAct
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Los Alegres Del Barranco Apologize Over Cartel Kingpin Visual as U.S. Revokes Their Visas
Los Alegres del Barranco are breaking their silence after the United States State Department revoked the band members' visas for displaying a visual of a cartel kingpin during a recent show. On Wednesday night, the Sinaloa band apologized for the incident, saying that it will be more careful with their show 'narratives' in the future. 'Through this message, Los Alegres del Barranco would like to offer our sincerest apologies for what happened,' the band wrote of the Guadalajara show. 'As a musical group, it was never our intention to create controversy, much less to offend. We acknowledge that, as artists, we have a great responsibility to our audiences, especially to the new generations who follow our music.' More from Rolling Stone U.S. State Department Revokes Mexican Band's Visa Over Song Praising Drug Cartel Kingpin Top Trump USAID Staffer Accused of Violent Outbursts, Racist Remarks 'Lives Are in Danger' After a Trump Admin Spreadsheet Leak, Sources Say During their March 29 show at Auditorio TelMex, Los Alegres' video backdrop displayed a mugshot of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, a.k.a. 'El Mencho,' the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, as they played their song, 'El Del Palenque,' about the kingpin. The drug cartel organization was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in February. 'We deeply regret that part of the show was perceived as offensive or reaffirm that our music is inspired by telling popular stories within Mexican music,' the band wrote in their statement. 'We will take more rigorous measures regarding the visual and narrative content of our performances.' Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau announced on X that the State Department had revoked the band's work and tourism visas for 'glorifying' El Mencho by displaying him on screen. 'In the Trump Administration, we take seriously our responsibility over foreigners' access to our country. The last thing we need is a welcome mat for people who extol criminals and terrorists,' Landau wrote in his post. Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum also condemned the performance earlier this week, saying things like these 'should not occur,' and urged for an investigation. 'We have to see the connotation but … There can be no apology for violent, criminal groups,' she said. Los Alegres' case comes as Mexican music, including narcocorridos, have seen exponential growth in the United States. Just last week, the CEO of Del Records was found guilty of conspiracy to transact with a cartel, along with 10 other counts related to the Kingpin Act, over performances with the CJNG. Mexican songs telling stories about the drug trade and the leaders behind it date back decades, and bands like Alegres have sung their tunes, including Mencho-mentioning 'El Del Palenque,' without issue. Fellow Sinaloa band Máximo Grado addressed some of the conversations about the controversial lyrics about drug trafficking and the idolization of narcos in a recent Rolling Stone interview. 'Stopping narcocorridos is not the main solution to ending violence and drug trafficking issues that have affected the country for so long,' frontman Christian Félix said. 'Censoring free speech is never the solution to any problem.' Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
U.S. State Department Revokes Mexican Band's Visa Over Song Praising Drug Cartel Kingpin
The U.S. Department of State revoked the travel visa of a Mexican band that was set to tour the U.S. this month after they prominently displayed images of a notorious drug kingpin at a recent concert. Mexican corrido group Los Alegres del Barranco was scheduled to perform April 5 in Austin, Texas, the first in a handful of planned shows this side of the border. However, during their concert Saturday in Guadalajara, the group's video backdrop displayed images of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, a.k.a. 'El Mencho,' the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (JNGC), Billboard reports; in February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio named the JNGC as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist. More from Rolling Stone Top Trump USAID Staffer Accused of Violent Outbursts, Racist Remarks 'Lives Are in Danger' After a Trump Admin Spreadsheet Leak, Sources Say Del Records CEO Guilty of Violating Kingpin Act for Working With Cartel-Linked Promoter According to the BBC, the song the band played that accompanied the 'El Mencho' images similarly praised the drug kingpin, calling him 'a man of war who loves his family' and celebrated his exploits. (The BBC notes that Los Alegres del Barranco also have a song honoring Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán.) Los Alegres del Barranco first drew condemnation from Mexican politicians — including President Claudia Sheinbaum, who criticized the band's actions as 'glorification of crime' and opened an investigation — before lawmakers stateside caught wind of the 'El Mencho' images, leading to the revocation of the band's visas and ultimately the cancellation of their upcoming shows in the U.S. 'I'm a firm believer in freedom of expression, but that doesn't mean that expression should be free of consequences,' Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau wrote on social media Tuesday. 'A Mexican band, 'Los Alegres del Barranco,' portrayed images glorifying drug kingpin 'El Mencho' Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes — head of the grotesquely violent CJNG cartel — at a recent concert in Mexico. I'm pleased to announce that the State Department has revoked the band members' work and tourism visas. In the Trump Administration, we take seriously our responsibility over foreigners' access to our country. The last thing we need is a welcome mat for people who extol criminals and terrorists.' Neither the band nor the U.S. Department of State responded to Rolling Stone's requests for comment at press time. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Yahoo
Sean Kingston and His Mother Found Guilty of Fraud
Sean Kingston and his mother Janice Turner have been found guilty of federal charges stemming from more than $1 million in wire fraud. The decision came Friday after a 3-hour deliberation by the jury, per NBC News. Turner must stay in federal custody until her July sentencing while Kingston will face house arrest and will need to post a bond of a home valued at $500,000 along with $200,000 in cash. Both mother and musician son are scheduled to be sentenced on July 11. More from Rolling Stone Selena's Family 'Grateful' for Killer's Denied Parole: 'Nothing Can Bring Selena Back' Selena's Killer Yolanda Saldívar Will Not Be Released, Denied Parole Del Records CEO Guilty of Violating Kingpin Act for Working With Cartel-Linked Promoter According to local Florida outlet Local10, which covered Friday's hearing, Kingston cried in court and said, 'Protect my mother.' The mother and son were both charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud, according to documents filed in the U.S. District Court's Southern District of Florida. The two allegedly took part in a 'scheme to defraud victim sellers of high-end specialty vehicles, jewelry, and other goods purchased by the defendants through the use of fraudulent documents.' They allegedly 'enriched themselves by falsely representing that they had executed bank wire or other monetary payment' on those hefty purchases but never sent the money. In doing so they stole about $1 million worth of property, per the indictment. Both Kingston and his mother could face up to 20 years in prison for each of the six charged counts. Kingston was arrested in May last year, hours after his mother's arrest during a raid in South Florida. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
Del Records CEO found guilty after doing business with cartel-linked concert promoter
A federal jury Thursday convicted the chief executive of Del Records, a Bell Gardens-based label that produces Latin music, of conspiring to violate a federal law that prohibits U.S. residents and companies from doing business with known drug traffickers and their associates. After a nine-day trial, Ángel Del Villar, 44, and his talent agency, Del Entertainment, were found guilty of one count of conspiracy to do business with sanctioned people connected to drug trafficking, in violation of the Kingpin Act and 10 counts of violating the Kingpin Act, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in L.A. The Kingpin Act prohibits anyone in the U.S. from engaging in deals or transactions with people or businesses sanctioned by the Treasury Department. Federal authorities arrested and charged Del Villar in 2022. In April 2018, Del Villar and the talent agency did business with Jesús Pérez Alvear, a.k.a. 'Chucho," a Guadalajara-based music promoter who had been sanctioned by the Treasury Department, according to evidence presented at trial. Treasury officials said at the time that Pérez had laundered drug money for the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion and a related trafficking group, Los Cuinis. Pérez was accused of commingling the traffickers' profits with legitimate revenue from ticket and refreshment sales. He also promoted singers of narcocorridos, ballads which 'glorify' traffickers and their crimes, Treasury officials said. Pérez had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to do business with sanctioned people connected to drug trafficking. He promoted concerts for Del Entertainment in Mexico until March 2019. He was murdered in Mexico in December 2024. During the trial — which featured testimony from a popular singer of Mexican regional music named Gerardo Ortiz — Del Villar's attorneys tried to shift the blame onto a former employee of Del Records, Brian Gutiérrez. One of Del Villar's attorneys, Marissa Goldberg, said in her opening statement that the case centered around "misplaced trust" and "manipulation." Goldberg accused Gutierrez of working with the government, "to manufacture a gotcha situation to take down someone that they perceived to be on top." Del Villar's attorneys did not return a request for comment on Thursday. According to the U.S. attorney's office, Del Villar and Del Entertainment willfully did business with Pérez, "by continuing to have a Del Entertainment musical artist perform at concerts in which Pérez and Del Entertainment had a financial interest." '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 U.S. Atty. 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.' During the trial, Goldberg, Del Villar's attorney, told the jury that her client, an immigrant from Mexico, had "accomplished the American dream." She said he had a passion for Mexican regional music, the music of his childhood, and started his record label two decades ago. The trouble, authorities said, began in 2018. Ortiz, one of Del Records' artists, had been scheduled to perform at a concert organized by Pérez in the state of Aguascalientes, Mexico, when the promoter was sanctioned, FBI Special Agent Lauren Radke wrote in an affidavit filed in court. Del Villar's employees drafted a news release at the time, 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.' The news release was never distributed, but agents used a search warrant to obtain the draft a year later, Radke wrote. That news release came up repeatedly throughout the trial. Radke and other agents met with Ortiz at an airport in Phoenix, where they handed the singer a letter from the Treasury Department and told him he was prohibited from doing business with Pérez. Later that day, Del Records' chief financial officer, Luca Scalisi, left a voice message with an employee of the record label. Scalisi said Del Villar wanted the chief financial officer to go to Mexico to collect a debt that Pérez owed to a Mexican company affiliated with Del Villar, Radke wrote. Scalisi said he was concerned about creating a 'paper trail' leading to Pérez because the concert promoter was 'under surveillance," Radke wrote. Authorities have also charged Scalisi, 58, with violating the Kingpin Act. He has pleaded not guilty and his trial is scheduled for July. Ortiz ultimately did perform at the concert Perez staged in Aguascalientes, Radke wrote. Del Villar's credit card was used to pay for a private jet that transported Ortiz from Van Nuys Airport to the performance in Aguascalientes, according to the U.S. attorney's office. On multiple other occasions in 2018 and 2019, authorities said Pérez and Del Villar continued to do business by arranging for Ortiz to perform at concerts in Mexico. 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's status, according to Univision. Ortiz, who was signed under Del Records from 2009 to 2019, has already pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy tied to the case. Del Villar is set to be sentenced on August 15 and faces up to 30 years in prison on each count. Del Entertainment will face a sentence of five years of probation and a fine of $10 million for each count. Times staff writers Matthew Ormseth and Carlos De Loera contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
28-03-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Del Records CEO found guilty after doing business with cartel-linked concert promoter
A federal jury Thursday convicted the chief executive of Del Records, a Bell Gardens-based label that produces Latin music, of conspiring to violate a federal law that prohibits U.S. residents and companies from doing business with known drug traffickers and their associates. After a nine-day trial, Ángel Del Villar, 44, and his talent agency, Del Entertainment, were found guilty of one count of conspiracy to do business with sanctioned people connected to drug trafficking, in violation of the Kingpin Act and 10 counts of violating the Kingpin Act, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in L.A. The Kingpin Act prohibits anyone in the U.S. from engaging in deals or transactions with people or businesses sanctioned by the Treasury Department. Federal authorities arrested and charged Del Villar in 2022. In April 2018, Del Villar and the talent agency did business with Jesús Pérez Alvear, a.k.a. 'Chucho,' a Guadalajara-based music promoter who had been sanctioned by the Treasury Department, according to evidence presented at trial. Treasury officials said at the time that Pérez had laundered drug money for the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion and a related trafficking group, Los Cuinis. Pérez was accused of commingling the traffickers' profits with legitimate revenue from ticket and refreshment sales. He also promoted singers of narcocorridos, ballads which 'glorify' traffickers and their crimes, Treasury officials said. Pérez had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to do business with sanctioned people connected to drug trafficking. He promoted concerts for Del Entertainment in Mexico until March 2019. He was murdered in Mexico in December 2024. During the trial — which featured testimony from a popular singer of Mexican regional music named Gerardo Ortiz — Del Villar's attorneys tried to shift the blame onto a former employee of Del Records, Brian Gutiérrez. One of Del Villar's attorneys, Marissa Goldberg, said in her opening statement that the case centered around 'misplaced trust' and 'manipulation.' Goldberg accused Gutierrez of working with the government, 'to manufacture a gotcha situation to take down someone that they perceived to be on top.' Del Villar's attorneys did not return a request for comment on Thursday. According to the U.S. attorney's office, Del Villar and Del Entertainment willfully did business with Pérez, 'by continuing to have a Del Entertainment musical artist perform at concerts in which Pérez and Del Entertainment had a financial interest.' '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 U.S. Atty. 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.' During the trial, Goldberg, Del Villar's attorney, told the jury that her client, an immigrant from Mexico, had 'accomplished the American dream.' She said he had a passion for Mexican regional music, the music of his childhood, and started his record label two decades ago. The trouble, authorities said, began in 2018. Ortiz, one of Del Records' artists, had been scheduled to perform at a concert organized by Pérez in the state of Aguascalientes, Mexico, when the promoter was sanctioned, FBI Special Agent Lauren Radke wrote in an affidavit filed in court. Del Villar's employees drafted a news release at the time, 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.' The news release was never distributed, but agents used a search warrant to obtain the draft a year later, Radke wrote. That news release came up repeatedly throughout the trial. Radke and other agents met with Ortiz at an airport in Phoenix, where they handed the singer a letter from the Treasury Department and told him he was prohibited from doing business with Pérez. Later that day, Del Records' chief financial officer, Luca Scalisi, left a voice message with an employee of the record label. Scalisi said Del Villar wanted the chief financial officer to go to Mexico to collect a debt that Pérez owed to a Mexican company affiliated with Del Villar, Radke wrote. Scalisi said he was concerned about creating a 'paper trail' leading to Pérez because the concert promoter was 'under surveillance,' Radke wrote. Authorities have also charged Scalisi, 58, with violating the Kingpin Act. He has pleaded not guilty and his trial is scheduled for July. Ortiz ultimately did perform at the concert Perez staged in Aguascalientes, Radke wrote. Del Villar's credit card was used to pay for a private jet that transported Ortiz from Van Nuys Airport to the performance in Aguascalientes, according to the U.S. attorney's office. On multiple other occasions in 2018 and 2019, authorities said Pérez and Del Villar continued to do business by arranging for Ortiz to perform at concerts in Mexico. 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's status, according to Univision. Ortiz, who was signed under Del Records from 2009 to 2019, has already pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy tied to the case. Del Villar is set to be sentenced on August 15 and faces up to 30 years in prison on each count. Del Entertainment will face a sentence of five years of probation and a fine of $10 million for each count. Times staff writers Matthew Ormseth and Carlos De Loera contributed to this report.
