Former Trump campaign official Rick Gates is set to plead guilty to criminal charges brought against him by special counsel Robert Mueller.
According to a newly unsealed court filing Friday afternoon, Gates has been hit with a superseding indictment charging him with conspiracy against the United States and making a false statement.
Gates will appear in federal court at 2 p.m. Friday where he will be arraigned and the plea agreement will be revealed, the special counsel’s office announced.
Gates’ move comes as Mueller’s team upped the pressure on Gates and his longtime associate Paul Manafort, who were hit with more charges in a separate case late Thursday.
In October, Mueller brought 12 counts against Gates: conspiracy against the U.S., conspiracy to launder money, serving as an unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts.
In a letter obtained by ABC News, Gates, who is 45-years-old with a young family, wrote to family and friends Friday that “despite my initial desire to vigorously defend myself, I have had a change of heart.”
“The reality of how long this legal process will likely take, the cost, and the circus-like atmosphere of an anticipated trial are too much. I will better serve my family moving forward by exiting this process,” he explained.
