Anthony Weiner, the former US congressman implicated in a string of “sexting” scandals, has admitted “transmitting sexual material” to a 15-year-old girl.

Weiner, 52, had been investigated by federal authorities over reports he had exchanged sexually explicit messages with a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina.

The former New York congressman, who served between 1999 and 2011, agreed today not to appeal any jail sentence between 21 and 27 months, Associated Press has reported.

He was told by the judge he would have to register as a sex offender.

The confiscation of Weiner’s laptop, as part of the FBI investigation, led to the discovery of a cache of emails from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to her aide Huma Abedin, Weiner’s wife.