Report: Rep. Grimm to plead guilty to tax evasion

Embattled Republican Rep. Michael Grimm is expected to plead guilty in connection with felony charges filed against him in April, according to court documents filings Monday, which set a plea hearing for Wednesday.

The news was first reported by the New York Daily News, which said the Staten Island congressman would plead guilty to felony tax evasion.

An attorney representing Grimm, Stuart N. Kaplan, said he would make no comments until after Tuesday's hearing in federal court in Brooklyn.

Grimm's expected plea would reverse a not-guilty plea he gave to a 20-count fraud indictment handed down in April. Those charges stem from accusations of underreporting wages and revenue for a Manhattan restaurant called "Healthalicious" that he co-owned from 2007 to 2010.

Grimm, a businessman and former FBI agent, was first elected to represent New York's 11th Congressional District in 2010.

The indictment at one time seemed to threaten his 2014 re-election prospects, but the incumbent ultimately coasted to another win.

Despite that November victory, it remains to be seen if the Republican House leadership will ask him to resign when Congress returns in January. If so, that would trigger a special election to fill his seat.