GULFPORT, Miss. — A federal judge in south Mississippi says he won’t let a man withdraw a guilty plea to charges of coercing an underage girl to pose for child pornography with poisonous snakes.
John Joseph Maillet pleaded guilty in September to one count of production of child pornography. A plea agreement called for Maillet’s sentence to be 15 to 30 years in prison.
Maillet asked Nov. 8 to withdraw the plea and fire his public defender, Stephen Dick. Maillet said he didn’t know his plea agreement carried a maximum penalty.
U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden on Monday denied Maillet’s motion to withdraw the guilty plea.
Maillet, of Port Jervis, N.Y., was living in Carriere, Miss., where the alleged crime took place. He was arrested in August.