PENNSYLVANIA
A 27-year-old pimp plead guilty to running a sex trafficking enterprise with multiple victims who were engaging in prostitution for the defendant’s profit, officials announced Friday.
Corderro Cody, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, plead guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, conspiracy to transport individuals both intrastate and interstate for the purpose of prostitution, one count of sex trafficking of a minor and 12 counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion.
U.S. District Court Judge Edward G. Smith scheduled a sentencing hearing for Jan. 29. Cody is facing up to life in prison with a minimum of 15 years behind bars. He is also facing a fine of up to $3.7 million.
“A dozen victims of this sex trafficker have the opportunity to rebuild their lives and countless other potential victims will no longer fall prey to his abuse,” said Special Agent in Charge John Kelleghan of U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations in Philadelphia. “This case is a result of the excellent relationship between HSI special agents and local police officers who continuously work together to root out this type of violent activity to keep communities safe.”
The evidence indicated the following:
- From 2009 until the time of his arrest in 2014, the defendant, conspiring at various times with others, used false promises to recruit his victims into relationships with him, then used psychological manipulation, addictive drugs, sexual assaults and brutal violence to control and coerce them for purposes of prostituting them for his profit.
- Cody also denied a victim access to her child as another form of coercion and control.
- Cody recruited multiple women to prostitution, referring to his prostitution enterprise as the “program,” and advertised the women for commercial sex acts on Backpage.com.
- Cody transported them both within Pensnylvania and to other states to prostitute, and he controlled and retained virtually all of the prostitution proceeds.
- Cody also used physical force and violent beatings when the women did not adhere to the “program,” in order to maintain the women for continued commercial sexual acts at his direction.
“Human trafficking is a crime that deprives vulnerable individuals of their freedom and dignity,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division. “This defendant engaged in a concerted scheme of cruelty and brutality to compel and coerce his victims to sell their bodies for his profit. This disregard for their humanity is an affront to our values as a nation, and the Civil Rights Division is deeply committed to bringing traffickers to justice to vindicate the rights and dignity of survivors of human trafficking in all its forms.”