RALEIGH - Former state Rep. Michael Decker admitted in federal court Tuesday that three years ago he abandoned the Republican Party and supported Jim Black for a third term as House speaker in exchange for a legislative job for Decker's son and $50,000.

Prosecutors would not identify the person with whom Decker struck his deal, but much disclosed in federal court Tuesday and in previous State Board of Elections hearings suggests it was Black himself.

Decker met the unidentified Democrat at a Salisbury IHOP restaurant, Decker's lawyer, David Freedman of Winston-Salem, said after court. Black and Decker met at the restaurant after the legislative elections in 2002, the Winston-Salem Journal has reported.

Black, now serving his fourth term as speaker, has said that once Decker decided to support him, he raised substantial amounts of campaign money for Decker. And prosecutors said Tuesday that much of the money given Decker for his vote went to his campaign account.

Black has not been charged and has said he has done nothing wrong.

Decker, 61, of Walkertown in Forsyth County, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Raleigh to a conspiracy charge that says he deprived the public of his honest services by engaging in extortion, mail fraud and money laundering. He is to be sentenced Nov. 1 and faces as much as five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Under terms of the plea agreement, Decker must aid investigators from the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the State Bureau of Investigation. That includes testifying in court and taking a polygraph exam.

"This kind of public corruption undermines our democracy and the legitimacy of legislative bodies," Acting U.S. Attorney George Holding said in a statement.

Decker is the fourth person to face criminal charges in connection with Black's political and legislative activities. He is the first to admit guilt.

Black could not be reached for comment Tuesday. One of his lawyers, Kenneth Bell of Charlotte, said in a statement that Decker "made up stories" to spare himself a hefty sentence for stealing campaign checks. Elections board hearings showed that Decker pocketed $3,400 in campaign checks that he received in early 2003.

"Speaker Black neither gave, promised nor offered Decker anything for his vote," Bell said. "After Decker told the speaker he intended to vote for him, the speaker offered to help Decker raise funds for what was sure to be a tough re-election campaign, just as he would have done for any member of his caucus. If Decker is telling the government anything other than this, he is not telling the truth."

Decker is a former 10-term lawmaker who often spoke up for issues pushed by Christian conservatives. He shocked the state's political establishment in 2003 when he announced that he would switch parties and support Black.

The switch deadlocked the House and allowed Black to share the speaker's post with Republican Rep. Richard Morgan.

Democrats regained control of the House in the 2004 elections, and Black was re-elected speaker.

The 2003 power-sharing arrangement bitterly divided Republicans, and it continued to play out in this year's primary, when Morgan lost to a party-backed candidate.

Decker appeared crestfallen as he walked into the federal building Tuesday morning. He stood for much of the hearing, even when U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III told him he could sit. Decker answered the judge's questions with a soft "Yes, sir." He declined to comment outside court.

"If called upon by the U.S. Attorney's Office, he will get up and tell the truth of what happened," Freedman said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Bruce said in court that Decker was having financial trouble in late 2002 when he and another Republican House member met with a Democratic House member in Salisbury. The other two lawmakers were not identified.

At a second meeting in Salisbury, Decker "offered to switch to the Democratic Party and support a certain Democratic member of the House for speaker in return for $50,000," Bruce said. "The Democratic member agreed and proposed that it be done with campaign checks."

Bruce said Decker was also promised a legislative staff position, which he gave to his son, Michael Jr. The job with the House Ways and Means Committee, which ended when the elder Decker left office, paid an annual $46,000 to Michael Decker Jr., the former state director of the N.C. Christian Coalition.

The older Decker announced his party switch on Jan. 24, 2003. A short time after, the unidentified Democratic House member gave Decker an envelope with $38,000 in checks and $12,000 in cash, Bruce said. Much came from people who had not given to Decker in previous elections, Bruce said.

Campaign finance reports show that some of that money went toward a used vehicle and a trip to Florida to retrieve it. At that time, legislators were allowed to tap campaign funds for personal use.

Decker switched back to the GOP in time for the 2004 primary, but he was trounced.

In February 2005, Black helped create and fund a job for Decker at the Department of Cultural Resources, using $45,000 from a reserve fund Black and other legislative leaders controlled. The temporary job ended in March.

Federal authorities said that Decker kept his campaign account open after the primary "in case there was a need to run some money through it."

Decker's campaign received a $4,000 check on Feb. 10, 2005, according to the plea agreement. He deposited it in the account, closed his campaign and pocketed the money, the court record said. Campaign records show the only $4,000 contribution he received at that time came from Black's campaign committee.

In response to Decker's spending, lawmakers this year prohibited candidates from using campaign money for personal expenses.

(Staff writers Andrea Weigl, Rob Christensen and Lynn Bonner contributed to this report.)