HELENA — After a six-day trial, a jury in Helena convicted former Montana Senate President Sen. Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, on charges of official misconduct.
The prosecution and defense in the Ellsworth case called their final witnesses Monday. They made their closing arguments Tuesday afternoon and the jury began deliberations around 3:45 p.m. They delivered their verdict just after 8 p.m.
State District Judge Chris Abbott set a sentencing hearing for Sept. 10. Ellsworth faces up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $500.
(Watch the video to learn more about the sentencing.)
Montana State Senator Jason Ellsworth found guilty in formal misconduct trial
Ellsworth’s lawyers declined to comment to MTN after the verdict. Montana Department of Justice prosecutors also declined to comment in court, but Attorney General Austin Knudsen released a statement.
“Our Department of Justice prosecutors and investigators did a tremendous job in securing today’s conviction,” Knudsen said. “We sincerely thank the jury for their time and service. The Montana Department of Justice takes any public corruption seriously. We are pleased to see the rule of law prevail.”
The charge stems from Ellsworth’s handling of government contracts during his time as president. In December 2024, he signed a pair of contracts totaling $170,000 with Agile Analytics, a company associated with Bryce Eggleston, a friend and former business partner. Ellsworth tapped the company to track and analyze a number of judicial reform bills during the 2025 legislative session.
On Monday afternoon, Ellsworth himself spoke for more than three hours defending his actions.
“How do you understand your authority for the President to approve such a service contract?” defense attorney Martin Jadnich asked Ellsworth.
“Total power,” he replied.
Ellsworth acknowledged that Eggleston was his friend and worked with him at various companies. He said Eggleston approached him and said he was interested in conducting an analysis of the bill, so he encouraged Eggleston to submit a proposal. He said he was confident that Agile Analytics could get the job done and that he trusted Eggleston’s abilities.
Prosecutors argued that Ellsworth was trying to avoid scrutiny of the proposed deal. In particular, they pointed to the fact that the original documents they submitted called for money up front and split the work into two smaller contracts—below $100,000, the threshold above which government contracts typically require additional review by the Montana Department of Administration.
Ellsworth testified that he had nothing to do with the drafting of the proposed contracts and that he did not want them to be divided or for the money to be paid immediately. He said he believed the money that was to be used for this contract had to be spent before the end of 2024, but later learned that it only had to be distributed.
Ellsworth said he never considered the documents he initially submitted to be formal contracts, but merely proposals.
“They weren’t treated right,” he said.
In closing arguments, Judnich said Ellsworth had no intention of evading procurement laws and that these contracts fall within recognized exceptions to the standard bidding process. He argued that Ellsworth submitted the documents to government officials for review, and if they were improper, employees could have stopped them. Jadnich said Ellsworth relied on their judgment.
“He said yes to every proposal, every question of cooperation – everything that was asked of him, he said yes,” Yudnich said. “He didn’t say no to a single thing.”
Prosecutors said Ellsworth did understand what was required when awarding government contracts. They argued that this was not the final contract drawn up after the state employees provided their materials, but rather the original documents that Ellsworth presented after speaking with Eggleston.
“The defense wants you to believe that these were offers – even though the documents don’t say there were offers,” State Attorney Dan Guzinski said. “And if these are proposals, then why is he hiding the fact that these are proposals?”
The jury’s verdict will not affect disciplinary measures the Senate already took against Ellsworth last year, including banning him for life from serving in the Senate and stripping him of his committee assignments.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect the response from the Montana Department of Justice and Ellsworth’s attorneys declined to comment.