Anthony Weiner pleads guilty to sexting a minor

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Anthony Weiner’s long fall from grace culminated when he admitted exchanging sexually explicit texts with a 15-year-old.         

Anthony Weiner was once a rising star of the Democratic Party and New York political scene until his career and life cratered under the weight of his own scandals and crime.

On Friday, the former Congressman and mayoral candidate entered a guilty plea in federal court to a single count related to "sexting" with a 15-year-old girl.

The charge carried a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, under the deal, prosecutors asked for about two years.

"There's a very good chance Weiner will see the inside of a prison. I don't see the judge backing down on this,” said Stephanie Willis, former prosecutor.

She said the criminal case also required Weiner to register as a sex offender and will likely play a role in the divorce from his wife Huma Abedin.

"It will be highly unlikely he will be granted a great deal of custody in this case. It may turn out that he has to have supervised custody when he's with his son,” said Willis.

The 52-year old's very public fall from grace began in 2011 when he resigned from Congress after a tweet ended up exposing his sexting habits.

"I have terrible mistakes that have hurt the people I care about the most,” said Weiner.

However, the sexting didn't stop.

In 2013, a political return had Weiner ahead in the polls for mayor, then more sexting messages under the infamous pseudonym Carlos Danger emerged.

The latest scandal intersected with the 2016 presidential race.

On Weiner’s computer, weeks before the election, FBI investigators found work-related emails between Hillary Clinton and his estranged wife Huma Abedin, who was a top aide of the Democratic nominee.

Former FBI director James Comey's letter followed, an announcement Clinton maintains cost her the election.

Before the judge on Friday, Weiner broke down in tears and said he has sickness, but no excuse.