Joran van der Sloot plans to plead guilty in the federal extortion case accusing him of demanding money from Natalee Holloway’s mother, according to recent court documents.

Associated Press reports that van der Sloot, who previously pleaded not guilty in the case, has a plea and sentencing hearing scheduled for October 18 in Birmingham, Alabama. The plea deal, according to Today, is contingent upon van der Sloot providing details on the disappearance and presumed death of Natalee.

“It was conditioned upon Mr. van der Sloot revealing details of how Natalee died and how her body was disposed of,’’ lawyer and legal commentator John Q. Kelly, told Today.

The defendant’s plea hearing comes days before what would have been Natalee Holloway’s 37th birthday.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, a Birmingham grand jury indicted van der Sloot on June 30, 2010. Natalee Holloway’s mother paid van der Sloot in 2010 for details about the location of her daughter’s remains.

Police say van der Sloot gave false information and failed to honor his promise, which led to a U.S. grand jury indicting him on charges of extortion and wire fraud that same year.

It wasn’t until earlier this year, however, that the defendant was extradited from a Peru prison to Alabama to face charges.

Holloway vanished in 2005 while vacationing in Aruba days after graduating high school. Her remains have never been found, but van der Sloot, a Dutch national who lived on the Caribbean island, has long been suspected of playing a role in the disappearance of the American teen, who was 18 at the time. He has not been charged, however, with her murder.

Meanwhile, van der Sloot remains behind bars at the Shelby County Jail in Alabama. Check back for updates.

For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to a previous episode on the case:

[Feature Photo: Joran van der Sloot/Peruvian mug shot, left, Natalee Holloway/FBI