ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A federal judge has rejected a request to withdraw a guilty plea for an eastern Pennsylvania man accused of forcing women and a minor to work in a prostitution ring.

Corderro Cody pleaded guilty in October in federal court to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, among related charges.The Allentown Morning Call reports (http://bit.ly/1L4YPtL ) that Cody testified on Friday saying he only took a plea deal because his lawyers said he would've faced a life sentence had he been convicted.An Allentown judge rejected that motion Friday, finding that Cody didn't assert his innocence or establish a fair reason for the withdrawal.Cody is scheduled to be sentenced next month. Attorneys had agreed on a 30-year term as well as a $3.75 million fine.---Information from: The Morning Call,

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