Allentown Man Charged With Sex Trafficking

PHILADELPHIA - Corderro Cody, 27, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, was charged by indictment, unsealed today, with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, four counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and conspiracy to transport individuals both intrastate and interstate for the purpose of prostitution, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger.

The indictment alleges that Cody recruited women to work as prostitutes, referred to his prostitution business as the “program,” and advertised the women on Backpage.com.  The women were sometimes driven to other states and forced to perform sexual acts.  Cody recovered and kept most, if not all, of the money generated by the sexual acts, and used physical force in the form of beatings when the women did not adhere to the “program,” and to maintain the women performing commercial sexual acts.  In one instance, the indictment alleges that Cody physically assaulted one of the women when she requested permission to go home to see her children for the Thanksgiving holiday.

If convicted the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of lifetime imprisonment, a mandatory minimum 15 years in prison, a $1.5 million fine, a mandatory minimum five years of supervised release up to lifetime supervised release, and a $600 special assessment.

The case was investigated by Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and the Allentown Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sherri A. Stephan.

An Indictment, Information or Criminal Complaint is an accusation.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.