Guadalupe Lizárraga Viernes, 30 de Mayo del 2025
Behind the photograph of Governor Marina del Pilar at a luxury San Diego residence lies a web of shell companies and protected figures.
By Guadalupe Lizarraga
SAN DIEGO, California — A photograph of Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda inside a luxurious San Diego residence has triggered an investigation into a business network operating under opaque conditions in California. Although the governor claims she was “just visiting,” the property — purchased for over $1 million above the neighborhood’s average value — is linked to Fernando Rafael Salgado Chávez, a Baja California attorney with multiple business entities registered in the area and ties to a corporate group that has registered nearly 500 companies using the same address.
In an official statement, the governor identified Fernando Salgado as the owner of the home located at 7910 Nathaniel Court, San Diego, CA, in an effort to distance herself from the property. However, her visit to a residence acquired well above market value — according to San Diego County records — and purchased by a shell company connects her, at least indirectly, to a network of business operators using opaque corporate structures to carry out transactions in California.
The Baja California Businessman Behind the Shell Companies
A law graduate from the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC), class of 2004, and holder of professional license number 4253288, Fernando Salgado, 45, maintains an active business presence in the state of California. According to public records, he is linked to at least three active companies and one inactive entity in the San Diego area, all registered through the corporate firm Fimbres Consulting Group, Inc., headed by Tijuana businessman Gustavo Fimbres. This firm operates out of 805 Bowsprit Rd, Chula Vista, California, an address shared by at least 488 companies, as revealed by a Los Ángeles Press investigation.
Among the entities linked to Salgado, INTL Builders Inc. stands out. In November 2023, the company purchased the residence at 7910 Nathaniel Court — the same property where Governor Ávila Olmeda was photographed. A year and a half after the purchase, the property was put up for sale. Salgado is listed as the Chief Executive Officer of the company, while Anakaren Sánchez Rodríguez appears as Chief Financial Officer. The entity was incorporated on October 29, 2015, under registration number 3838898, through Fimbres Consulting Group.
Another company operating from the same Fimbres address is 7396 Turnberry Court LLC, registered on January 11, 2019, with the California Secretary of State under number 201901410014. Listed as a partner is Iveth Arámbula García, 43, who shares at least two properties with Salgado: a luxury estate in Rancho Santa Fe, valued at $8.9 million, and a second address at 2465 Selkirk Row, La Jolla, CA. Digital records also indicate that the two have lived together in Del Mar, San Diego, and Chula Vista.
Both individuals are also associated with FJP&M Investments LLC, incorporated on September 16, 2019, under registration number 201925910262. According to public records, the company is currently active, with Fimbres Consulting Group once again listed as the registered agent. Salgado is also linked to the now-suspended CJ&G Consulting Services, Inc., which was also registered at the Fimbres office address. The "suspended" status was issued by the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) — California’s tax agency — due to failure to meet tax obligations, rendering the company legally unable to operate or enter into contracts.
Police Protection and Other Connections: Salgado and Velazco
A report by journalist Dora Elena Cortés, published on November 3, 2024, by Agencia Fronteriza de Noticias, revealed that attorney Fernando Salgado and businessman Álvaro Vidal Velazco Castro attended a private social event where they were accompanied by armed escorts provided by the Baja California State Attorney General’s Office (FGE). Also present at the gathering were individuals close to professional boxer Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez.
The revelation sparked controversy by exposing the use of public resources for the private protection of businessmen. According to Cortés' investigation, both Salgado and Vidal allegedly received personalized security from agents of the State Investigation Agency (AEI) — a service that was reportedly revoked following a direct order from State Attorney General María Elena Andrade Ramírez.
Although no formal business relationship has been documented between the two men, their shared inclusion in state-funded protection schemes suggests they operate within the same sphere of political or economic influence in the region.
Álvaro Vidal was the brother of Gil Alberto Velazco Castro, who was assassinated on October 9, 2020, in Ensenada, amid territorial disputes between the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. This background adds a layer of concern to the connections surrounding Fernando Salgado.
Companies and Legal Background of Álvaro Vidal Velazco
Álvaro Vidal Velazco Castro is listed as the owner of the registered U.S. trademark "Pegaso Packing" under registration number 5287308, granted on September 12, 2017. The trademark is associated with packaging, storage, and distribution services. However, there is no public evidence that the brand currently operates as an active business entity in California.
Additionally, corporate records indicate that Vidal was linked to the transportation and logistics company Coheve Baja Express Inc., registered in San Diego under document number 3511391. This company was dissolved in July 2018. Locally, he has also been associated with the operation of event venues in Ensenada, specifically at the property located at Carretera Transpeninsular 851, Valle Dorado neighborhood, according to municipal records in Baja California.
Furthermore, Álvaro Vidal Velazco filed a legal appeal (amparo en revisión) against actions by the Jalisco State Congress, recorded under case number 248/2014 before the First Collegiate Administrative Tribunal of the Third Circuit. While the specific grounds for the appeal were not detailed, this judicial record confirms his presence in Jalisco—a state linked to one of the criminal organizations involved in the Ensenada conflicts where his brother, Gil Alberto Velazco Castro, was assassinated in 2020.
The Governor’s Close Circle
Although there is no public evidence of legal, financial, or property ties between the governor and the residence—as she asserts in her statement—nor any direct contractual relationship between these companies and the government of Baja California, the fact that Marina del Pilar was photographed at a property identified as part of Fernando Salgado’s close network, specifically a residence connected to business groups with opaque operations, raises legitimate questions about her immediate circle. It also casts doubt on the effectiveness of institutional controls designed to prevent public officials from benefiting improperly or forming ties with individuals or companies capable of influencing their decisions.