Washington (CNN) Former Democratic Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh pleaded guilty Thursday to federal conspiracy and tax evasion charges stemming from a book deal scandal that led to her resignation last May.

Appearing in US District Court in Baltimore, Pugh, 69, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and two counts of tax evasion. She pleaded not guilty to seven counts of wire fraud.

The plea is a dramatic development in a months-long scandal over Pugh's self-published "Healthy Holly" books, which prosecutors allege she fraudulently sold to local non-profit organizations in order to fund her campaign and enrich herself. The scandal led to the former mayor's resignation in May after the Baltimore city council called on her to step down, and it adds to a lengthy list of corruption scandals tied to the Maryland city, where wrongdoing by public officials has long been a part of the political landscape.

The plea comes one day after federal prosecutors unsealed the 11-count indictment against Pugh that detailed an elaborate scheme that prosecutors say she and her former aide, Gary Brown, steered "in order to enrich themselves, promote Ms. Pugh's political career, and fund her campaign for mayor."

It's expected that the government will drop the remaining charges at sentencing, which is scheduled for February 27. The US Attorney's Office said Wednesday that Pugh faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud conspiracy and for each of the seven counts of wire fraud; five years in federal prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States; and five years in federal prison for each of the two counts of tax evasion.

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