Pico Rivera Nightclub Owner Indicted for Laundering Money for Mexican Drug Trafficker, Federal Officials Say

Dancers at El Rodeo nightclub in Pico Rivera move to the sounds of the music. The club’s owner was arrested on suspicion of laundering money as part of a drug-trafficking ring. (Credit: Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times)

by: Los Angeles Times

Posted: Mar 7, 2015 / 06:48 AM PST

Updated: Mar 7, 2015 / 07:50 AM PST

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The owner of a Pico Rivera nightclub has been indicted on charges that he laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars for a Mexican drug-trafficking operation, federal officials said.

Edgar De Dios Fragoso, 38, of Hacienda Heights — owner of El Rodeo nightclub — was named in an eight-count indictment charging him with conspiracy to launder money and money laundering for an unnamed Mexican drug trafficker.

Fragoso, who also operates a second El Rodeo bar in Moreno Valley, was arrested Feb. 23 on suspicion of money laundering after agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration raided his nightclub and home. He was later freed on a $100,000 bond.

Calls to his attorney were not immediately returned.

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