AFAIK, the police use this strategy frequently, to get petty drug dealers to finger their suppliers. Criminals, of course, have their own sanctions against snitching.
The problem with this type of plea (whereby someone else is fingered), is the incentive it provides for false accusations.
Yeah, I know that's the full statement of the "minimax" problem. Either suspect does best if they don't snitch first, but they can't trust each other or communicate, so that isn't their best choice.
Still, the situation here with an overcharged sentence, an overcharging but overburdened attorney, and a suspect in the middle is somewhat reminiscent of the classic problem. Besides, I got in a pun with "prisoner's dilemma," didn't I?