Mexican-American regional star Gerardo Ortíz broke his silence after receiving a three year probation sentence from a federal judge for his links to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) after a long legal process that involved plea deals and took a toll on his musical career.
The 36-year-old singer stopped to answer questions from the press after his sentencing hearing. "First of all, I want to apologize to my audience for everything that has happened. I'm happy because my new album, 'El Ejemplar,' is released tomorrow at five in the afternoon. We hope to keep moving forward," he stated to the reporters.
However, when it came to the subject of his connections to organized crime, he maintained his innocence, saying, "Too many things have been said, too many lies," but that "there is a truth" to the rumors.
In May 2025, Ortíz pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge tied to his involvement in concert promotions overseen by a company designated by the U.S. government as a narcotics trafficker's front. Judge Maame Ewusi‑Mensah Frimpong sentenced the regional singer to three years of supervised release and must pay a fine of an unspecified amount.
Prosecutors stated that his former label, Del Records, and its CEO Ángel del Villar facilitated concerts for a promoter linked to the CJNG cartel and its financial arm, Los Cuinis.
Del Villar, who was once engaged to singer Chiquis and famous for his feuds with her mother, Jenni Rivera, faced a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison but was sentenced to 48 months. He is scheduled to begin serving his sentence on December 1 at a federal correctional facility.
He stated that "We were there singing at that event; everyone saw it on YouTube, they saw photos. The fans who were there that day, it was impossible to deny it. That show happened; we were there in Aguascalientes, and that's all."
Ortiz participated in financial transactions associated with a concert-promoter company linked to the CJNG, raising concerns because the promoter in question, Gallística Diamante (also known as Ticket Premier), was designated in 2018 by the U.S. Treasury as a narcotics trafficker front.
In 2019, he filed suit against Del Records for breach of contract, fraud, and underpaid royalties. In May 2020, the FBI raided Del Records' offices in Bell Gardens, California, as part of an investigation into the label's business dealings with cartel-linked promoter companies. The raid traced the inquiry to Ortiz's bookings with Gallística Diamante.
Court documents show that Ortíz performed at six or more concerts connected to the promoter entity, even after having been warned by federal agents in April 2018 that the promoter was under sanctions. The sentence of three years of supervised release comes as part of a plea agreement in which Ortíz agreed to testify against del Villar and others. According to the report, the judge accepted the joint recommendation of Ortíz's defense and prosecutors.
Ortíz also added that "I have nothing more to say. We were there singing and sharing our music with the public."
The CJNG is considered one of Mexico's most powerful cartels and has been designated by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization.
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