By the Associated Press
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - A federal jury deliberated 2 1/2 hours Tuesday before convicting a Fort
Worth spa owner of money laundering.
Karen Lucchesi, the owner of La Plaza Wellness Center in Colleyville, was convicted of helping a Fort
Worth attorney launder at least $259,000. They believed the money was from cocaine and marijuana
trafficking, authorities said.
Sentencing was set for Jan. 9. She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Lucchesi, 38, and her family maintained her innocence even after the verdict was read, the Fort Worth
Star-Telegram reported in its online edition Tuesday.
"I will go to prison for her. That's how sure I am that she is innocent," said her father, Frank Lucchesi,
who managed the Texas Rangers and other pro baseball teams in the 1970s and '80s.
According to testimony, a friend introduced her to an undercover agent posing as a cocaine trafficker.
Karen Lucchesi agreed to help the agent conceal the source of $20,000 in cash that the agent said he
earned from selling cocaine.
Karen Lucchesi testified that she met with the agent because she thought he could help her get a loan
to keep her spa in business. She said she was misled by her friend and attorney, Anand Alloju.
Alloju admitted to helping the agent launder more than $200,000, but reached a plea agreement that
could get him a lighter sentence in exchange for cooperating with the government against Lucchesi.
