Republican Rep Chris Collins Resigns Before Expected Guilty Plea

NEW YORK — U.S. Rep. Chris Collins resigned from his office Monday ahead of his expected guilty plea in an insider-trading case that federal prosecutors brought against him last year.

The Republican lawmaker stepped down from his Buffalo-area congressional seat "effective immediately" in a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo a day before a Tuesday afternoon hearing in Manhattan federal court where he is scheduled to change his plea in the criminal case.

Collins initially pleaded not guilty in August 2018 to securities fraud, conspiracy and other charges stemming from his involvment with a biotech company, court records show.

The Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office accused Collins — who served on the firm's board — of giving confidential information about a drug trial to his son, Cameron Collins, and Stephen Zarsky, the father of Cameron's fiancée. Collins, Zarsky and others avoided $768,000 in losses because of the insider tip, prosecutors said last year.

The U.S. attorney's office declined to comment beyond the public court records. Patch could not immediately reach Collins's office or attorneys for comment.

Collins reportedly said earlier this month he had not decided whether to seek re-election in New York's 27th Congressional District covering the suburbs of Buffalo and Rochester.

Collins's guilty plea would not have forced him to to give up his job under federal law. But he narrowly held on to the seat last year, defeating Democratic challenger Nate McMurray by fewer than 1,100 votes after prosecutors brought the charges against him.

This story has been updated.