Montana senator facing jail time after misconduct conviction
Jason Ellsworth (Montana State Legislature)
Former Montana state Senate President Jason Ellsworth was convicted this week of awarding no-bid contracts to a company with ties to a long-time business associate.
A jury in Helena found Ellsworth guilty Tuesday night.
Jason Ellsworth guilty
By the numbers:
Ellsworth was convicted of misdemeanor criminal official misconduct for awarding $170,000 in no-bid contracts to Agile Analytics in the final days of December 2024.
Big picture view:
Ellsworth had contracted with the firm to observe and report on state agencies as the government implemented laws passed by the 2025 Legislature to limit the power of Montana courts.
What they're saying:
Prosecutors told jurors that Ellsworth circumvented the normal approval process for state contracts by signing the incomplete agreements first, then submitting the flawed documents for state officials to legitimize. Ellsworth knew better, Assistant Montana Attorney General Stephanie Robles told jurors. At the time, he was chairman of the Legislative Audit Committee, which oversees government affairs.
"It shows (Ellsworth) was aware of the process that he wasn’t following," Robles said in closing arguments. "But this is the very position the defendant put himself in, creating his own emergency."
RELATED: Healthcare fraud recoveries top $5.5 billion despite enforcement slowdown
Ellsworth had a 20-year relationship with Agile Analytics’ registered agent, Bryce Eggleston, a longtime friend and former employee who presented Ellsworth with contracts for the work on Christmas Eve 2025 as he picked Ellsworth up from the airport.
Eggleston registered Agile Analytics as a Montana business just weeks before presenting Ellsworth with the contracts, Robles said. Ellsworth had previously recommended Eggleston for a job as a press secretary for Montana Supreme Court Clerk Bowen Greenwood. Ellsworth secured funding for the position and recommended Eggleston for the job.
The other side:
Ellsworth has repeatedly attempted to have the case dismissed and the terms of his suspension from office ended. At one point, facing suspension from the Legislature, he argued that he had already been found guilty by his Senate peers, who in April 2025 banned him from the Senate floor and from committees for life. Those actions stemmed from ethics violations related to the contract issue. Lawmakers led by Democrats and nine Republican senators, including Ellsworth, chose to send the criminal case to the Department of Justice for review.
Ellsworth’s defense attorneys emphasized the legitimacy of the contracts after they had been modified by Legislative Services and the Department of Administration. The work under contract with Agile Analytics was legitimate as well, attorney Martin Judnich said.
"The state’s trying to make this out like this is some kickback contract just for funsies, and we’re going to give somebody some money," Judnich said. "That’s not what this is at all. This was a very serious contract about an issue that was extremely important to the Montana Senate."
What's next:
Ellsworth faces up to six months in jail when he’s sentenced Sept. 10.
The Source: This report includes information from The Associated Press.