A former U.S. Senate candidate accused of buying less-costly in-state hunting and fishing licenses when he was not a Montana resident has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors as part of a deal with prosecutors.
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports Troy Downing pleaded guilty Wednesday to obtaining resident hunting licenses as a non-resident and unlawfully procuring a license or permit. Those offenses happened between 2011 and 2016.
The pleas came less than a week after a motion to dismiss some of the charges was denied.
Downing, who unsuccessfully ran for this year's Republican nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Jon Tester in November, was ordered to pay a $2,110 fine and any court fees. He argued the case was based on mistakes made by accountants who prepared his taxes listing him as a California resident.
Investigators have characterized Downing's time in Montana as "seasonal at best" during the years at issue.