Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams was led out of a federal courtroom in handcuffs Thursday after pleading guilty to taking bribes, an unexpected move that came in the middle of his corruption trial.

Moments after delivering his guilty plea, Williams, 50, submitted his letter of resignation to U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond in Philadelphia's federal courthouse. The letter was to be delivered to Mayor Jim Kenney, who had been among a chorus of officials calling for Williams' resignation since his indictment in March.

Williams' plea came as part of a deal with the government, with prosecutors agreeing to dismiss 28 of the 29 charges against him in exchange for admitting to one count—that he took bribes, including a trip to a luxury resort in Punta Cana, from Feasterville businessman Mohammed N. Ali in exchange for helping Ali bypass airport security.

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