Los Retros front man, Maurisio Tapia, pleaded not guilty to four counts of felony child molestation in Ventura County Superior Court on Oct. 22.
Tapia, 26, of Moorpark, was charged on Oct. 12with sodomy, sexual penetration and two counts of oral copulation, all with a child under 10 years old, according to a Ventura County District Attorney’s Office news release.
Tapia allegedly molested a child under 10 on numerous occasions for several months this year, the DA’s office said.
He had access to the child through a familial relationship, and the abuse allegedly took place in a home in Moorpark, DA officials said. The child reported the abuse to a trusted family member.
Ventura County Sheriff’s Office detectives began an investigation into Tapia on Oct.
7, said Capt. Robert Yoos, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.
Only one victim came forward, and the sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate, Yoos said.
Tapia remains in Ventura County jail with bail set at $3 million, jail records show. He is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 29. His attorney could not immediately be reached Oct. 23.
What is Los Retros?
Los Retros was founded in 2016 by Oxnard native Maurisio "Mauri" Tapia and maintains about 2.8 million monthly listeners as of Oct. 15, but had dropped to 2.6 million as of Oct. 23, according to Spotify charts.
The band grew in popularity with songs such as "Someone to Spend Time With" and "Amtrak."
Tapia and his band played at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio this year.
Los Retros was slated to play at the Stones Throw 30 music festival Oct. 16, but the organizer later removed them due to "unforeseen circumstances," according to a post on the organizer's Instagram page.
Stones Throw Records, Tapia and Los Retros', record label released a statement on their Instagram page on Oct. 15 acknowledging the allegations against him.
"Yesterday we learned of extremely serious and disturbing allegations against Mauri Tapia, professionally known as Los Retros," the post says. "In light of this information, we are taking steps to dissociate ourselves from Tapia and his work."
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Los Retros front man pleads not guilty to child molestation charges
