The frontman of the popular indie band Los Retros was charged with four felony counts of unlawful acts with a child under the age of 10 in Southern California on Oct. 12.
Mauricio Tapia, 26, also faces several special allegations, including that the victim was vulnerable and that he took advantage of a position of trust, according to records from the Ventura County Superior Court. If found guilty, such allegations can lead to a harsher sentence.
He did not enter a plea.
The Moorpark, California native was arrested on Oct. 8 and booked into Ventura County jail the next day, with bail set at $3 million, according to jail records. Records show he is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 22.
The Ventura County Sheriff's Office is investigating.
USA TODAY
has reached out to Tapia's representatives for comment.
What is Los Retros?
Oxnard native Mauricio "Mauri" Tapia founded Los Retros in 2016, and the band has about 2.8 million monthly listeners as of Oct. 15, 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 in April.
Los Retros was slated to play at the Stones Throw 30 music festival on 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 said. "In light of this information, we are taking steps to dissociate ourselves from Tapia and his work."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Los Retros frontman Mauri Tapia charged with child abuse-related offenses
