JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A friend and ex-husband of Missouri Auditor Susan Montee have amassed millions of dollars of license office contracts from Gov. Jay Nixon's administration.

Attorney James Montee and business associate Ryan Williams won several of the lucrative contracts despite scaling back initial promises to pay the state sizable chunks of their profits. The state auditor, her ex-husband and their friend deny political connections gave them an inside track to landing the contracts.

But some losing bidders and former license office operators claim the bidding was fixed so Williams and Montee could prevail.

The Department of Revenue, which oversees Missouri's motor vehicle offices, calls that assertion baseless. Spokesman Ted Farnen says the bidding process under Nixon does not consider politics.