Ovidio Crespo dropped out of university and the island in 2017
14ymedio, Havana, 11 April 2025 — “If Donald Trump wants to deport me, I’ll buy him a Gold Card.” This was the message Cuban singer Ovidio Crespo, known as Ovi, posted on Instagram to avoid deportation from the United States. This is the alternative the U.S. government launched last February: the ability to obtain residency in exchange for an investment of $5 million.
Although Ovi doesn’t have a deportation order, he does have a criminal record. According to the Laken Riley Act, the singer’s criminal record would be an aggravating factor for his deportation from the country. Last September, Ovidio Crespo was arrested in Miami. He was charged with possession of illegal substances, carrying a revolver, and armed assault. He was released after posting $8,000 bail. On that occasion, his lawyers prevented the singer’s deportation.
Crespo also has a history of other offenses. In March 2022, he was arrested for domestic violence. He was released after posting $1,500 bail. Four months earlier, in December 2021, he was arrested after getting into a fight with fellow countryman, reggaeton artist Manny La Figura, outside a jewelry store in Miami.
The alternative proposed by Trump generated controversy. “The proposal has the form and flavor of a golden passport program,” reported Fortune. The same edition emphasized that in Europe, “some countries have successfully used this system to sell the rights and benefits of EU citizenship.” However, it warned that it runs the risk of “accepting payments with minimal scrutiny, exposing oneself to the risks of corruption and money laundering.”
An Al Jazeera investigation revealed that an investment of more than €2,000,000 ($2,266,693) in Cyprus secured EU citizenship for at least 30 people with pending criminal charges or convictions, as well as 40 politically exposed persons. Faced with the evidence, Cyprus canceled the program in 2020 and Bulgaria did so in 2022.
Ovi, who dropped out of the University of Medical Sciences in Havana, left the island in 2017. The singer began his journey through Ecuador and after 25 days arrived in the US and began his dream of making music. Two years after his arrival, he became a household name for his musical performance with Adriel Favela and Yendi on the song “Cuando me ve.”
The Rancho Humilde record label boosted his career and with the songs Se me dio, Bailen and Pacas verdes he has achieved a place as an exponent of the so-called corridos tumbados, reggaeton and Latin trap.
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