HAZLETON -- The former real estate agent from Hazleton accused of selling homes he didn't own to unsuspecting buyers has agreed to plead guilty in federal court.
Ignacio Beato signed a deal Wednesday to plead guilty to a federal charge of wire fraud.
Authorities say Beato cheated almost 20 people from the Hazleton area out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. They say he sold homes without having titles to those properties.
While he was being investigated, Beato fled the area. He was picked up in Florida last year and brought back to Luzerne County. He's been locked up ever since.
No date has been set for a federal judge to hear Beato's guilty plea.