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GREENSBORO — A federal judge on Monday agreed to postpone the start of the trial for six Latin Kings members charged with racketeering until at least the beginning of March, citing the complexity and enormity of discovery material.

The trial had been slated to begin next Monday. But last week, prosecutors filed a motion asking the court to delay it until Feb. 13 because seven of the 13 defendants named in a federal indictment unsealed last month had yet to be arraigned.

The 13 defendants include Jorge Cornell, North Carolina Latin Kings leader and former Greensboro City Council candidate. The 38-page indictment accuses them of, among other things, conspiracy to commit murder, arson and kidnapping.

At a hearing Monday at the L. Richardson Preyer Federal Building in Greensboro, defense attorneys agreed that the trial should be postponed. But they said they would probably need even more time to sift through the 7,000 pages of discovery and 57 CDs that the government was to hand over.

“Heaven knows how long it’s going to take for us to go through all this,” said James B. Craven, attorney for Luis Alberto Rosa, aka “King Speechless.”

“I would like something that wouldn’t require me to file a motion within a week because I’m not going to be able to digest all this,” Cornell’s attorney Michael Patrick said.

U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Eagles agreed.

“It sounds like this is a fairly complicated matter, and that may be an understatement,” she said. “It certainly sounds like more time is needed, perhaps a lot more.”

She granted a continuance and called for the attorneys to meet for a status conference in March.

Cornell and Rosa, whose stepfather has said is no longer in the gang, appeared at the hearing Monday, along with alleged associates Samuel “King Hype” Velasquez, Charles Lawrence “King Toasty” Moore, Richard “King Focus” Robinson and Russell “King Peaceful” Kilfoil. They were led into the courtroom in chains.

The six pleaded not guilty at a hearing last month but were denied bail by Magistrate Judge P. Trevor Sharp, who said he believed they posed a danger to the community.

December’s hearing attracted a large group of supporters, including several local clergy members and a crowd brandishing banners and drums outside the courthouse. But Monday, only Rosa’s parents and girlfriend Ashley Manning were there. Rosa blew them a kiss as he was led out of the courtroom.

Contact Robert C. Lopez at 691-5091 or robert.lopez@news-record.com