Latin King gang associate pleads guilty; 22 suspects face trial

A Latin King associate known as Cookie admitted Tuesday she was part of a violent racketeering conspiracy, the only one of 23 South Floridians accused of gang activity to plead guilty so far.

Danielle Lucatorto, 30, of Margate, was not a gang member but admitted she participated in gang-related crimes. Her lawyer said she could face more than four years in federal prison when she September but hopes for ment.

The remaining 22 defendants have pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy and related charges. The one suspect was arrested in Mexico last month and is being transferred from California to South Florida. The other 21 defendants are all scheduled to appear Wednesday in federal court in Fort Lauderdale. If convicted, the alleged Latin Kings members and associates could is sentenced in a lesser punish- face lengthy prison terms.

Lucatorto, who has been locked up without bond since she was arrested in May, admitted she was a drug dealer who sold cocaine with help from gang members.

She also admitted that she and two alleged Latin King members planned the armed robbery of a towing company worker they thought had stolen a quarter pound of cocaine from their vehicle.

Handcuffed, shackled and dressed in bright blue jail scrubs, Lucatorto answered most of U.S. District Judge James Cohn’s questions with a simple “yes” or “no” Tuesday in federal court in Fort Lauderdale.

“Guilty,” she replied when asked how she wanted to plead to the main charge against her. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss a pending robbery charge when she is sentenced.

Agents heard Lucatorto, who worked for a cell phone company before her arrest, arranging drug deals and pickups in