Carlos Pizarro was arrested in Miami last year along with two colleagues, Robert Pulido and Nelson Carrasquillo. Prosecutors allege the police officers went to Miami to collect $35,000 from undercover FBI agents.

U.S. District Court Judge William Young told Pizarro that under federal sentencing guidelines he could face between 19.5 and 24 years in prison.

But because Pizarro accepted responsibility and has no criminal record his sentence could be as low as eleven to 14 years.

Sentencing is scheduled for December 12th.

Prosecutors say the defendants believed the agents were drug dealers who had hired them to protect a shipment of cocaine in Massachusetts.

Pulido and Carrasquillo are scheduled to go to trial in November.