senting 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.