Maurisio Tapia

Introduction

Maurisio “Mauri” Tapia, the 26-year-old frontman and founder of the Southern California indie band Los Retros, is charged with four felony counts of unlawful acts with a child under the age of 10 in Ventura County Superior Court. Court records list special allegations that the victim was vulnerable and that Tapia took advantage of a position of trust; he has not entered a plea, and bail was set at $3 million. Within a week of his arrest, his longtime label, Stones Throw Records, announced it was dropping the act and the band was pulled from the label’s Stones Throw 30 festival days before its scheduled Los Angeles set. The charges are pending.

Background Information

Tapia is an Oxnard native living in Moorpark who founded Los Retros in 2016. The band became, per the Los Angeles Times, an influential act in a wave of Latino bands drawing from vintage Mexican balladeers, American oldies and modern indie rock, and counted about 2.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify as of mid-October 2026; their song “Someone to Spend Time With” has topped 271 million streams. Los Retros played the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio in April 2026 and were billed to play the Stones Throw 30 festival in Los Angeles on October 16, 2026.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not tried. The account below comes from Ventura County court and jail records as reported by the Ventura County Star, USA Today and the New York Post. Tapia has been charged but not tried and has not entered a plea; nothing here is a finding of guilt, and the alleged victim has not been identified.

Tapia was arrested October 8, 2026 by Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies and booked into Ventura County Jail early the next morning; jail records show the booking under the name Maurisio Tapia, ID 2248385, with bail set at $3 million. Formal charges were filed in Ventura County Superior Court on October 12: four felony counts of unlawful acts with a child under the age of 10, with special allegations that the victim was vulnerable and that Tapia abused a position of trust — enhancements that can lengthen a sentence if they are found true. He did not enter a plea at the initial appearance. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is the investigating agency; reporting has not described the alleged conduct or the child’s relationship to Tapia beyond the charging language.

Hoodline’s account of the filing placed the allegations under California Penal Code Section 288.7, the provision covering specified unlawful acts involving a child aged ten or younger, under which a conviction carries a mandatory state-prison term of 15 years to life or 25 years to life depending on the act. The arrest came days before Los Retros were due on stage: the New York Post noted the band was pulled from the Stones Throw 30 lineup for “unforeseen circumstances” on the Friday before the show. His first name is spelled Maurisio in Ventura County booking records and by the Ventura County Star and the Los Angeles Times; some national coverage, including the New York Post and Hoodline, spells it Mauricio.

Public Reaction and Consequences

Stones Throw Records, the label that signed the band, addressed the charges in an Instagram statement October 15: “Yesterday we learned of extremely serious and disturbing allegations against Mauri Tapia, professionally known as Los Retros.” The label said it had previously announced the cancellation of the band’s scheduled Stones Throw 30 performance “before we were aware of these circumstances,” and that “in light of this information, we are taking steps to disassociate ourselves from Tapia and his work. We take these allegations extremely seriously and will continue to assess the situation as more information becomes available.” The festival organizer separately cited “unforeseen circumstances” in removing the band. USA Today reported reaching out to Tapia’s representatives; no public statement or denial from Tapia or anyone speaking for him appears in the coverage.

Current Status

The case is open and Tapia, 26, has not been tried. Court records show his next hearing set for October 22, 2026; bail remained set at $3 million as of the most recent reports, and no plea has been entered. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office investigation is ongoing, and the four felony counts remain accusations. Stones Throw’s dissociation from Tapia and his work stands, and Los Retros’ Stones Throw 30 slot was filled by the festival’s remaining lineup after the removal. Neither the label’s statement nor the festival cited any timeline for further action.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The charges landed at the peak of Los Retros’ profile — a Coachella year, a 271-million-stream single, and a label that had helped define their rise — and severed the band’s industry ties within a week, before a single court hearing on the merits. A label statement framing the allegations as “extremely serious and disturbing” and promising dissociation “from Tapia and his work” effectively removes the band’s catalog from its institutional home, and the Times’ positioning of Los Retros within a wave of Latino indie acts makes the fall the more visible for a scene the band helped lead. Tapia’s own future, musical or otherwise, now runs through the Ventura County courts.

Sources

NY Post, “Frontman of California band Los Retros charged with child abuse crimes before LA concert,” Oct 17, 2026 — source
Ventura County Star, “Los Retros front man charged with child abuse-related offenses,” Oct 15, 2026 — source
USA Today, “Los Retros’ Mauri Tapia charged with child abuse-related offenses,” Oct 15, 2026 — source
Yahoo Entertainment (LA Times), “Los Retros frontman Mauri Tapia charged with unlawful acts on a child,” Oct 17, 2026 — source
Hoodline, “Moorpark musician Mauri Tapia charged with child abuse offenses,” Oct 2026 — source
RecentlyBooked.com, “Maurisio Tapia Arrest Record — Ventura County, CA,” booking ID 2248385, Oct 9, 2026 — source