Daddy Yankee Files Federal RICO Lawsuit Against Former Manager Over Alleged Royalty Scheme
Reggaeton artist Daddy Yankee, whose legal name is Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez, has filed a federal lawsuit in Puerto Rico against his former manager, music executive Rafael Pina Nieves, alleging a years-long scheme to divert songwriting royalties through false authorship claims.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico by Daddy Yankee and his publishing company, Los Cangris Inc., alleges that Pina and affiliated individuals and publishing entities fraudulently added his name as a songwriter on musical compositions he did not help create, allowing publishing income to be redirected away from its rightful owners.
The complaint also names Mireddys González Castellanos, Daddy Yankee’s ex-wife, who previously managed his business entities, including Los Cangris, Inc., and El Cartel Records. Court records show that Daddy Yankee and González were involved in earlier litigation in 2024 concerning control and management of those companies, which resulted in a transition of corporate authority.
The allegations trace the misconduct back to at least 2015, with the scheme continuing for nearly a decade. The complaint alleges that Pina circulated altered split sheets, which are industry documents used to divide songwriting credit among contributors, by email and other electronic means to assign himself a percentage of authorship without Daddy Yankee’s knowledge or consent. Those allocations were then embedded into copyright registrations and publishing records, redirecting royalties away from Los Cangris, Inc., and into publishing companies controlled by Pina.
Los Cangris, Inc. served as the company responsible for administering Daddy Yankee’s publishing catalog during the relevant period.Publishing rights govern ownership of a song’s underlying composition, meaning the lyrics and music, and determine who receives royalties each time a song is streamed, performed, or licensed. Because Daddy Yankee’s catalog continues to be widely distributed and monetized worldwide, publishing ownership tied to those works remains a significant source of ongoing revenue.
While the lawsuit focuses on publishing records, it arises against the backdrop of a career spanning more than three decades. Daddy Yankee emerged in the early 1990s and became a leading figure as reggaeton gained international reach.
The lawsuit brings claims under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly known as RICO, which allows civil lawsuits alleging coordinated schemes involving repeated acts such as fraud. The complaint argues that Pina and others operated as an ongoing enterprise and used electronic communications, including emails and online filings, to carry out and conceal the diversion of publishing income alleged in the case.
The filing also asserts claims under Puerto Rico’s Organized Crime Act. Together, those laws allow plaintiffs to seek enhanced damages if a court finds a pattern of coordinated misconduct rather than isolated acts.
The lawsuit further relies on copyright law governing authorship and ownership. Under federal law, a person is considered a co-author only if they make a creative contribution to a work and intend to share authorship. Transferring copyright ownership also requires a written agreement signed by the rights holder. The complaint argues that Pina did not contribute creatively to the compositions at issue and that no valid written transfers authorized the disputed publishing interests.
According to court filings, Daddy Yankee discovered the alleged royalty diversion after regaining control of his companies and reviewing financial and intellectual property records. The complaint states that copyright registrations listing Pina as an author revealed inaccuracies affecting ongoing royalty payments.
The lawsuit seeks permanent injunctive relief requiring corrections to copyright and publishing records maintained by the U.S. Copyright Office and performance rights organizations such as ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. The complaint also seeks at least $3 million in damages.
