A federal court hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday morning in which the conservative author and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza is expected to plead guilty to a charge stemming from campaign finance violations, according to a notice sent out by the government.

Mr. D’Souza was charged in January with using straw donors to contribute to a New York Republican Senate campaign, and his trial was to begin this week in United States District Court.

But the United States attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York sent out an advisory late Monday night that said a hearing had been scheduled on Tuesday, using language that typically indicates that a plea is expected to occur.

Decisions to plead guilty are subject to change at the last minute, and a defendant like Mr. D’Souza could decide instead to go to trial. The judge, Richard M. Berman, was to oversee jury selection on Tuesday morning, and opening arguments were expected to take place that day.