Montana Senate leader gave a friend's new firm $170,000 in no-bid contracts
On Dec. 26, 2024, then-Senate President Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, signed two contracts worth $170,000 with Agile Analytics, a newly formed company for which his longtime friend and former employee Bryce Eggleston was registered agent, to track how state agencies carried out 2025 bills curbing Montana courts. Prosecutors with the Montana Department of Justice said he skipped competitive bidding and required procurement review; at the time he chaired the Legislative Audit Committee. A Helena jury found him guilty of misdemeanor official misconduct on July 21, 2026, but Lewis and Clark County District Judge Christopher Abbott vacated the verdict the next day because court staff gave jurors sealed exhibits. Ellsworth's lawyers say the contracts and work were legitimate. A retrial is set for Dec. 14, 2026. Ellsworth still represents Senate District 43.
A Helena jury found former state Senate President Jason Ellsworth guilty Tuesday night of misdemeanor criminal official misconduct for awarding $170,000 in no-bid contracts to a company represented by a long-time business associate.
In December 2024, he signed off on a pair of contracts, together worth $170,000, with Agile Analytics – a company linked to Bryce Eggleston, a friend and former business associate.
Should the Department of Justice choose to retry the case, the retrial would begin Dec. 14, Abbott said.
His lawyer said the contracts and Agile Analytics' work were legitimate and not a kickback.
No outcome recorded yet.