Draft:List of Montana political scandals

This is a list of political scandals which occurred in the U.S. State of Montana. It is organized in reverse chronological order from most recent to oldest.

Politician is defined as "a person who is professionally involved in politics", and includes not only those elected to office, their staffs and appointees, but also those who routinely work in politics such as pollsters. Major officials of political parties and their staffs, as well as those elected by their party to be candidates are also included. Local politicians, mayors, sheriffs, and county officials should not be included.

Scandal is defined as "loss of, or damage to, reputation caused by actual or apparent violation of morality or propriety". Breaking the law is always considered a scandal. The finding of a public court is the sole method used to determine a violation of law, but it is not the sole method of determining a scandal.

Please note that all people are considered innocent until proven guilty. Allegations of misconduct do not imply guilt nor do admissions of guilt in the absence of a conviction. Investigations that end without a determination do not imply innocence.

Breaches of ethics, unproven crimes or cover-ups may or may not result in inclusion depending on the amount of publicity generated, and the seriousness of the crime, if any. Notoriety and notability are a major determinant of a scandal. Politicians who resign, quit, flee, or commit suicide while being investigated or threatened with investigation may also be included.

Different scandals on different dates may result in multiple listings.

The list does not include crimes that occur outside the politician's tenure (such as before or after his term in office) unless they specifically stem from acts made while in office, such as bribery, and discovered later.

Given the political nature of legislatures where the leading party has determining power, politicians who are Rebuked, Denounced, Censured, Admonished, Condemned, Suspended, Reprimanded, Found in Contempt, Found to have Acted Improperly, or of using Poor Judgment are not included unless the scandal is exceptional or leads to further action such as expulsion, conviction or resignation.

Executive pardons may or may not be mentioned, but do not erase the scandal. The verdict and legal proceedings are not affected by pardons, but may affect the sentence.

State of Montana

 * Tony James Belcourt (D) State Representative from Box Elder, was convicted of four counts of federal corruption involving projects on the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation. He was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. (2014)


 * Jason Priest (R) State Senator from District 30, pled guilty to four counts of assault, family assault, and resisting arrest involving his four year old daughter, his wife and her boyfriend. He was sentenced to one year, deferred, and $11,000 in fees and fines. He did not run for re-election. (2014)


 * American Tradition Partnership also known as the Western Tradition Partnership and primarily funded by the Montana Growth Network, a secretive, dark money, conservative advocacy group. As a not-for-profit organization it promised not to interfere in elections, however it supplied extensive aid to the election of State Supreme Court nominee Laurie McKinnon and sued the State of Montana concerning the US ruling of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.
 * 1) Art Wittich (R) State Senator from Bozeman was found guilty of campaign finance violations by coordinating with and not keeping records of, illegal contributions from the secretive conservative group American Tradition Partnership. (2014)
 * 2) Wes J. Prouse (R) State Representative from District 15, ran for the Montana State Senate in the 2010 Republican primary. He was accused of accepting illegal corporate contributions from the Western Tradition Partnership.  He was found guilty, fined $59,000 and was jailed when he could not prove he couldn’t pay the fine. (2010)
 * 3) Mike Miller (R) State Representative of Helmville, was found guilty of accepting unlawful contributions from Western Traditional Partnership. He paid a $4,000 fine and was ordered not to run for public office for four years. (2010)
 * 4) Joel Boniek (R) State Representative from Livingston, failed to fully disclose his campaign finances, and exhibited “quid pro quo corruption” by swearing "unswerving fealty to the corporations carrying out the direct mail campaign," when he accepted $9,060 in contributions from the Western Tradition Partnership. He was found guilty and fined $54,000. (2010)