performances

Mexican American singer Gerardo Ortiz will serve three years of probation after testifying against Ángel del Villar, chief executive of Del Records, who federal prosecutors linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

In March, Del Villar was found guilty of violating the Kingpin Act, a federal law that prohibits U.S. residents and companies from doing business with known drug traffickers and their associates. He was sentenced to four years in federal prison and fined $2 million. However, Del Villar remains free while he appeals his conviction.

Ortiz also pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy tied to the case and was sentenced to a probationary period of three years on Nov. 19. He will also pay a fine, but the amount has not been confirmed, his publicist said in an email to The Times.

“First of all, I want to apologize to my fans for everything that’s happened,” said Ortiz. “We hope to keep moving forward.”

Within that statement, the “Mañana Voy a Conquistarla” singer also promoted his new album, “El Ejemplar,” Spanish for “the exemplar,” which came out a day after his sentencing on Nov. 20.

Federal court filings against Del Villar date back to 2022, after federal authorities accused the label mogul and his company of doing business with Jesús Pérez Alvear, a Guadalajara-based music promoter who also went by the nickname “Chucho.”

The Treasury Department had previously sanctioned Pérez Alvear, who they said laundered drug money for CJNG and a related trafficking group, Los Cuinis.

In the same 2022 complaint, it was also alleged that a “well-known musician,” now identified as música Mexicana star Ortiz, was approached by an FBI agent on April 19, 2018, at the Phoenix airport. The official informed the hitmaker of Pérez Alvear’s alleged connection to criminal organizations in Mexico and prohibited Ortiz from conducting future business with him.

Despite the warning, Ortiz admitted to performing on April 28, 2018, at Feria de San Marcos in Aguascalientes, Mexico, which was organized by Pérez Alvear. Del Villar’s credit card was used to purchase the flight.

“We were there singing at that event; everyone saw it on YouTube, they saw photos. For the fans who were there that day, it was impossible to say no. That show happened; we were there in Aguascalientes, and that’s all. I have nothing more to say,” said Ortiz following his sentencing. “Were there lies? A lot of things have been said, but that’s the truth. We were there singing at that concert, we were there, sharing a bit of our music with the audience.”

Prosecutors claimed that it was Del Villar who had persuaded Ortiz to ignore the FBI’s warning as he stood to profit off the promoter’s showcases. On several occasions in 2018 and 2019, authorities said, Pérez Alvear and Del Villar continued to do business by arranging for Ortiz to perform at concerts across Mexico.

Pérez Alvear promoted concerts for Del Entertainment in Mexico until March 2019. In December 2024, he was gunned down in a Mexico City restaurant.

Prior to this case, Del Records was at one point in a feud with Ortiz, a Pasadena native who was once arrested in Mexico on a charge of “criminal exaltation” for appearing in a music video that portrayed the mistress of a drug lord being bound, gagged and stuffed in the trunk of a car, which Ortiz then set on fire.

Ortiz and Del Villar sued each other in 2019, trading accusations of fraud and other misconduct. When the FBI raided the label’s Bell Gardens offices in 2020, a spokesman claimed the agents were only seeking records concerning Ortiz.

Times reporter Matthew Ormseth, Carlos de Loera and Brittny Mejia contributed to this report.

The biographical crime drama starring Hollywood heavyweights Johnny Depp and Christian Bale is airing on Film4 tonight where fans can watch the thrilling true-story unfold.

Fans of crime dramas are in for a massive treat tonight as a star-studded gangster film is set to air on Film4.

The 2009 biographical crime drama, directed by Michael Mann and starring Hollywood heavyweights Christian Bale and Johnny Depp, will transport viewers back to the American Depression-era with a thrilling story based on true events. Public Enemies will be broadcast tonight, November 10, at 10:50pm on Film4. The film’s screenplay was co-written by Ann Biderman and Ronan Bennett, adapted from Bryan Burrough’s 2004 non-fiction book titled Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34.

The plot centres around the charismatic Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger, who becomes a folk hero to much of America’s downtrodden public, but also a major headache for J. Edgar vacuum and the fledgling FBI. In a desperate bid to capture the elusive outlaw, vacuum makes Dillinger his first Public Enemy Number One and assigns his top agent, Melvin Purvis, the task of bringing him in dead or alive.

Joining Depp and Bale in the stellar cast are Marion Cotillard, Carey Mulligan, Billy Crudup, Channing Tatum, Stephen Dorff, Stephen Lang, and Giovanni Ribisi, among others, reports the Express.

Discussing his role as Melvin Purvis in a 2009 Collider interview, Bale revealed: “I recognize of course that it’s very much a supporting role in this movie, but I just couldn’t help but become really fascinated with the character and became very affectionate and fond of him. I just wanted to know as much as I could and it’s all out there as well. He was somebody who was unique.”

Public Enemies arrived in cinemas on July 1, 2009, and subsequently earned $214million worldwide at the box office. Boasting a 68 per cent critics approval rating on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, Public Enemies garnered largely favourable reviews from both critics and moviegoers.

One reviewer described it as: “A thinking man’s gangster film, less about thrills than the mechanics of Dillinger’s heists and Purvis’ investigation, which [director Michael Mann] executes with his usual precision.” While another critic wrote: “Mann depicts the giddy excesses and fearsome violence of Dillinger’s raids with his customary savage grace.”

A third reviewer deemed it “easily one of 2009’s most satisfying action dramas for adults”, whilst another critic declared: “The lush sets and gorgeous costumes coupled with the grainy cinematography make for a totally immersive experience, pulling a modern audience into a bygone era of fast cars, tommy guns and femme fatales.”

One fan of the film said: “Wonderful film – great performances from all lead actors and remarkably true to what really happened.” While another added: “One of the best gangster movies about depression-era criminals and crimes. Brilliant performances from Depp, Bale, and Cotillard. Micheal Mann makes really good crime films. I loved it.”

Public Enemies is set to air tonight, November 10, at 10:50pm on Film4.