Over a decade, Rich Mendez went from broke Orlando car salesman to Miami Latin music mogul.
Today, reggaetón stars Bad Bunny, Nicky Jam and Daddy Yankee drop by to record songs in his sprawling Wynwood entertainment complex and music studio. His own indie label’s artists are huge too: reggaetón darling Sech was nominated for three Latin Grammys, and performed his breakout song, “Otro Trago,” at the awards show in November.
“I’ve gone through the best 10 years of my life,” Mendez said. “And I’ve gone through the worst 10 years of my life.”
That’s because as he became a rising power in Miami’s Latin music industry while running Rich Music, Mendez was quietly fighting to stay out of prison for his role in a time-share scam from over a decade ago. He paid full restitution and cooperated with prosecutors — but couldn’t avoid a tough prison sentence meted out by a Texas federal judge.
So on Tuesday, Mendez, 49, will have to surrender to a Miami federal prison to start serving a five-year prison sentence.
