State Rep. Greg Wren, R-Montgomery.

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- An Alabama lawmaker has agreed to plead guilty to state charges in a deal that will secure his cooperation with authorities investigating corruption in the Alabama State House.

Rep. Greg Wren, R-Montgomery, appeared in state district court in Montgomery this morning, where he agreed to plead guilty to using his office for personal gain and to pay $24,000 restitution, within 90 days, in addition to his cooperation with the investigation.

The charge is a Class A misdemeanor.

The money will be paid to Alabama's General Fund.

Prosecutors asked for a one-year suspended sentence and two years of probation.

After his court appearance this morning, Wren said he was ready to move on.

"What I'd like to say, I'm kind of glad to have this behind me, and it has been a difficult process," Wren said. "I look forward to the future as we look forward to a change in scenery for me."

[Read the plea agreement here.]

Wren announced his retirement from politics earlier this year after he appeared at least twice before a special state grand jury in Lee County. Numerous public officials and lobbyists have been summoned there to testify in the corruption investigation, which has lasted for at least a year.

Wren officially submitted his resignation this morning.

Wren served in the Alabama Legislature since 1994, leaving office once between 2002 and 2006.

Last year, Wren attempted to add language to the state General Fund budget that would have effectively made a pharmacy cooperative he did business with, the Bessemer-based American Pharmaceutical Cooperative Inc., the sole supplier of drugs for Medicaid patients in Alabama.

Wren's amendment was stripped out in a conference committee after state Medicaid officials raised concerns.

According to the plea agreement, Wren's company, Wren & Associates, obtained a contract with RxAlly, a national company owned, in part, by APCI.

Wren also obtained for RxAlly confidential state Medicaid documents through the Legislative Fiscal Office. When asked by prosecutors about the documents, Wren initially told them that they were public and that he had gotten them off of the Internet.

"Upon further reflection, and after consultation with counsel, Wren decided to accept responsibility for his actions and provide truthful information to the State," the plea agreement says.

That pharmaceutical company has also done business with a company owned by Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn.

Hubbard declined comment, saying he knew of Wren's resignation but that was all. But his attorneys, J. Mark White and R. Lance Bell, issued a statement on Tuesday morning that said Hubbard was not involved in Wren's actions.

"The matters related to Rep. Wren's actions today do not involve or affect Speaker Hubbard," the statement by White and Bell said. "Mr. Wren's actions will not stop or affect the work that is left to be done during this legislative session. Speaker Hubbard has never failed to cooperate with any law enforcement authority. Unlike his political opponents, the speaker respects the need for the legal process to operate free of political influences. Speaker Hubbard will continue to focus on the current session of the Alabama Legislature and his work in the House of Representatives."

Last year, Hubbard said that his company, the Auburn Network, had done consulting work with the APCI to promote its out-of-state business, but the Alabama Ethics Commission had pre-cleared the company to perform that work.

Acting state Attorney General W. Van Davis said Wren's guilty plea was a significant step in an ongoing investigation. Davis was appointed to the case after Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange recused himself from the investigation.

"Citizens of the State of Alabama are entitled to the honest services of those who hold public office," Davis said in a press release today. "Public servants who violate their oath of office in order to achieve personal gain should expect to be held accountable."

To view the attorney general's press release, click here.

This story was updated at 11:18 a.m. and 11:32 to add more detail and add comments from Hubbard and his attorneys.

This story was updated at 11:40 a.m. to add the attorney general's press release.