A Lewis and Clark District Court jury found former Montana Senate President Jason Ellsworth guilty Tuesday night of misdemeanor criminal official misconduct, capping a trial that put the Hamilton Republican's handling of state contracts under a courthouse spotlight here in Helena.
Jurors deliberated for nearly four hours before returning the verdict. The case centered on Ellsworth's award of $170,000 in no-bid contracts to a company represented by a long-time business associate — an arrangement prosecutors argued crossed the line from political favor into criminal conduct.
Ellsworth, who represented a Hamilton-area district and previously served as president of the Montana Senate, now faces a potential sentence of up to six months in jail or a fine of $500. Sentencing details and a date had not been announced as of Tuesday evening.
The verdict lands at a moment when Montana's Legislature has faced broader scrutiny over ethics and conflicts of interest. Ellsworth sat at the defense table as the guilty finding was read aloud in the Lewis and Clark courtroom, according to pool reports from the Daily Montanan.