(Bloomberg) -- The wife of Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter is to plead guilty in a federal case in which she and her husband were accused of using campaign funds to pay for personal expenses and filing false campaign records.
Margaret Hunter is scheduled to change her plea at a hearing Thursday in federal court in San Diego. A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office declined to provide further information. Lawyers for Margaret Hunter didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Duncan Hunter won't be changing his plea, according to his attorney.
California GOP Lawmaker Hunter Indicted for Corruption (3)
“We are aware of Mrs. Hunter scheduling a hearing to change her plea,” Greg Vega said. “At this time, that does not change anything regarding Congressman Hunter. There are still significant motions that need to be litigated.”
Hunter had blamed his wife for the corruption charges, telling Fox News in an interview that she handled the couple's finances. He also blamed a “deep state” conspiracy.
It's not clear whether Margaret Hunter intends to take the blame, or to cooperate with prosecutors with her change of plea.
Hunter and his wife are accused in the indictment of spending almost $250,000 of campaign funds for personal items, including tuition for their children's private school, lavish dinners and vacations.
Hunter was one of Donald Trump's first backers in Congress in 2016. He represents California's 50th congressional district, covering the southern part of the state, notably parts of San Diego and Riverside counties. He was reelected last year despite his indictment.
Both Hunter and his wife had pleaded not guilty to the allegations in August.
To contact the reporter on this story: Edvard Pettersson in Los Angeles at epettersson@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Joe Schneider
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