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\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tSchwab said that Ortiz, a Grammy-nominated narcocorrido singer known for his ballads about the drug trade, will take the witness stand in the case. \u201cYou\u2019re going to hear Gerardo Ortiz himself. He\u2019ll tell you that he is now cooperating with [investigators] in this case, and he hopes that his cooperation will be taken into account at the time that he\u2019s sentenced,\u201d Schwab said. \u201cMr. Ortiz will tell you about his experience meeting the FBI, being told he could no longer perform in concerts that Chucho [promoted]. He\u2019ll tell you [that it was] Del Villar who directed him to ignore the letter and to continue performing at these concerts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tSchwab told jurors that Gutierrez, the vice president, reached out to the FBI \u201cto blow the whistle on the company.\u201d He said Gutierrez provided the FBI with incriminating voicemails and text messages implicating his superiors. \u201cEventually, [Gutierrez] also became what\u2019s called a confidential human source for the FBI,\u201d said Schwab.<\/p>\n
\n\tGoldberg said Gutierrez couldn\u2019t be trusted. She alleged he had political aspirations, sought what she called \u201cthe limelight\u201d and was essentially on the FBI\u2019s payroll.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cBrian Gutierrez found out about the designation of Chucho Perez [as a drug trafficker], and he began his scheme of manipulation,\u201d Golberg claimed in her opening. \u201cHe convinced everyone to just leave it to me. \u2018I\u2019ll contact the lawyers and I\u2019m going to make sure everything we do going forward is acceptable.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tShe alleged it was Gutierrez who scrapped an April 2018 press release that was supposed to announce that Ortiz would not be performing at the annual music festival organized by Perez \u00a0in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The lawyer claimed that the press release was prompted by the FBI letter handed to Ortiz and was supposed to say that Del Records was \u201cnot going to be doing business with Chucho Perez or his company anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
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\n\t\u201cIt was Brian who put a stop to that press release,\u201d Goldberg told jurors. \u201cInstead, he convinced everyone to just, \u2018Leave it to me. I\u2019ll contact the lawyers. I\u2019m gonna make sure everything we do going forward is acceptable.\u2019 \u2026 Brian Gutierrez took it upon himself. He actually reached out to political officials in Aguacalientes and got them to write him a letter inviting Ortiz to come perform at the concert.\u201d She alleged Gutierrez booked the jet and traveled with Ortiz to his first Perez-promoted show after receiving the letter. She alleged Gutierrez reached out to the FBI to insulate himself and that Del Villar \u201ctrusted\u201d Gutierrez to handle the matter appropriately while Del Villar was busy running the rest of his entertainment business empire, which included sports and restaurant ventures at the time.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThere is something deeply wrong and manipulative about how this case was created and investigated,\u201d Goldberg told the jury on Tuesday. \u201cThe ones who actually created this crime, who manufactured it, are not sitting as defendants, which is even more deeply wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tOrtiz parted ways with Del Records in 2019 amid a contract dispute. He and Del Villar remain locked in dueling lawsuits that have been consolidated into a single case in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Gutierrez, meanwhile, sued Del Villar and Del Records for wrongful termination, discrimination, and harassment in April 2023. His lawsuit alleges that Del Villar learned about Gutierrez\u2019s cooperation with the government on Aug. 1, 2022 and fired him \u201cin retaliation for his whistleblowing the very next day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAttempts to reach Ortiz and Gutierrez through their representatives were not immediately successful Tuesday. If convicted of violating the Kingpin Act, Del Villar would face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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