Former Rep. Chris Collins pleaded guilty Tuesday in an insider trading case, a day after he resigned from Congress and set off a scramble to fill his seat in his Republican-leaning district. Collins had initially denied charges he leaked confidential information about a pharmaceutical company and was set to go to trial next year in federal court in Manhattan. During his guilty plea to securities fraud conspiracy and making false statements to the FBI, Collins told the judge that he was “embarrassed and dismayed” that he betrayed the trust of his constituents.
