cop a plea
to agree to say you are guilty of a crime in order to receive a less severe punishment

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

cop a plea
[American, informal]
to admit that you are guilty of a crime in order to try to get a less severe punishment.
The police hoped the men would cop a plea and testify against the ringleaders in return for reduced sentences.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

cop a plea
plead guilty to a crime or decide not to fight against a charge in order to try and receive a light punishment, the same meaning as plea bargain (usually done in a negotiation between the defendant and his or her lawyer and the prosecutor); to plead guilty to a crime in order to get a lesser penalty
The man copped a plea and went to hear what the judge would decide regarding his case.

The man was forced to cop a plea when the evidence against him became too strong to dispute.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

cop a plea
v. phr., slang, colloquial To plead guilty during a trial in the hope of getting a lighter sentence as a result.
The murderer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., copped a plea of guilty, and got away with a life sentence instead of the death penalty.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲