After pleading guilty to a felony tax evasion charge, Rep. Michael Grimm issued a statement late Monday that revealed his plans to resign from Congress. According to CNN, a source close to Grimm said that he would resign soon, after the New York Daily News delivered the news of his intentions to resign.

In his statement issued just before midnight near his office, Grimm said that his decision to step down from his position in Congress, effective Jan. 5, was “very difficult.” He wrote that he was saddened by the decision and had developed close relationships with his constituents whom he cares for deeply. Grimm added that his spirit was not broken; however, he does not believe that he can continue serving out of respect for the next Congress and for the people he “so proudly” represents.

In April, the Staten Island congressman was indicted on 20 counts connected to his restaurant Healthalicious. The charges included engaging in mail fraud, filing false tax returns, knowingly hiring undocumented workers and wire fraud and perjury.

In Grimm’s hearing on Dec. 23, he pleaded guilty to a count of helping file a false tax return. This plea is expected to put him in jail for months.

He took responsibility for his actions and apologized. Grimm said the unpaid taxes, from the New York restaurant he owned before getting elected to Congress in 2010, were a mistake.

Prior to his guilty plea, Grimm was to appear on trial in February for charges of hiding more than $1 million in wages and receipts at Healthalicious to evade taxes. Although these charges were known, Grimm beat Democrat Domenic Recchia by 13 percent and won the reelection on Nov. 4. He would have been sworn in to a new term in January.

House Speaker John Boehnber said on Tuesday that Grimm’s resignation was “honorable.” He added that he appreciated Grimm’s service and that his decision was made with his constituents’ interests in mind.

Grimm’s plea and resignation brought negative attention to Boehner in the midst of his goal to enter the new Congress with a clean slate, according to CNN. The Constitution nor the House Rules do not include anything about excluding felons from serving in Congress, but Boehner, along with the 2010 Majority Leader Eric Cantor, promised to uphold a “zero tolerance” policy for ethics violations in the GOP caucus. Ethics issues in the past contributed to losses in previous elections.

Grimm’s admittance to the charges was not the first situation Boehner dealt with this year. In January 2014, Grimm was caught threatening to break a reporter in half and throw him off a balcony after being asked about an investigation on finances for his campaign. This created negative headlines that Boehner was trying to avoid.

Grimm’s decision to resign leaves his seat empty and Gov. Cuomo must call an election to fill the seat. Potential candidates have already began preparations to run. According to the Daily News, Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan, state Sen. Andrew Lanza and Assembly woman Nicole Malliotakis could be potential Republican candidates. Also, former Democratic Rep. Michael McMahon, who lost to Grimm 2010 by a small margin, has reportedly shown interest in regaining his old seat.