Senate President Convicted on No-Bid Contracts | Oakland News

Former Montana Senate President Jason Ellsworth just got convicted on misdemeanor charges for illegally awarding $170,000 in no-bid contracts to a business partner — a move prosecutors say he knowingly bypassed by skipping proper approval steps while serving as chairman of the Legislative Audit Committee. The contracts, for a company he’d helped set up just weeks prior, were for monitoring state agencies — ironic given his oversight role. Despite his defense arguing the deals were later legitimized and necessary, the jury found him guilty. He’s now banned for life from Senate floor access and faces up to six months in jail when sentenced in September — a stunning fall for a once-powerful lawmaker. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/f8bb8fe1d772841c