A prominent supporter of Bitcoin, Charles Shrem, says he will plead guilty on Thursday to resolve federal charges that he helped smooth the way for drug transactions on the online marketplace Silk Road. He is to plead in New York to one count of aiding and abetting the operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business.

Mr. Shrem, one of the most vocal advocates of Bitcoin, was accused in January of using his company to convert dollars into Bitcoin for users of Silk Road, the now-defunct bazaar known for its wide selection of narcotics and drug paraphernalia. Federal prosecutors contended that he operated the scheme in cooperation with Robert Faiella, known as BTCKing, who was also arrested in January, in Florida.

“They want a guilty plea on their books, and that’s what they’re going to get,” Mr. Shrem said on Saturday from his parents’ home in Brooklyn. “They got a Bitcoiner.”

Mr. Shrem’s arrest at Kennedy International Airport this year stirred consternation in the Bitcoin world, which continues to grapple with the perception that the digital currency provides an anonymous way to engage in illegal activity.

Mr. Shrem and Mr. Faiella were both charged with conspiring to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Mr. Shrem was also charged with “willfully failing to file any suspicious activity report” regarding Mr. Faiella’s actions.

At the time of Mr. Shrem’s arrest, Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan, said in a statement that the authorities would “aggressively pursue those who would co-opt new forms of currency for illicit purposes.”

The United States attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

When it was introduced in 2009, Bitcoin appealed largely to anti-establishment enthusiasts who wanted to circumvent the traditional financial system. As it has gained popularity, government agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, have wrestled with how to regulate the virtual currency.

In July, New York’s Department of Financial Services proposed the first state rules for virtual currency companies. A so-called BitLicense would be required for Bitcoin exchanges and for companies that secured, stored or maintained custody or control of virtual currency on behalf of customers. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued its first consumer advisory on virtual currencies this month.

But even as regulators seek to impose rules for virtual currency, the Bitcoin industry remains a powerful force, particularly in online black markets. A second version of Silk Road has formed, which sells many of the same drugs that the first marketplace offered.

Since his arrest, Mr. Shrem — a founding member of the Bitcoin Foundation’s board and a co-founder and former chief executive of the company BitInstant — has remained involved with Bitcoin. In addition to speaking engagements, he said he had been working for Payza, an online platform for sending and receiving the coins, and had set up an office at a co-working space in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. Mr. Shrem had been under house arrest at his parents’, but he has been allowed to leave the home from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on most weekdays.

Mr. Shrem, 24, said his plea could include jail time, though he is optimistic that it will not. Before his sentencing in about three months, he said, he plans to ask Bitcoin supporters to write letters to the judge on his behalf.

Mr. Shrem’s plans to plead were first reported by Reuters. Once his current legal troubles are behind him, he said, he intended to travel to various places around the United States and possibly to Europe.

Mr. Shrem said he would continue to press for Bitcoin and intended to be involved in regulatory efforts.

“I want to do the good work I was doing before I got arrested,” he said.