An 81-year-old Montana rancher was sentenced to six months in federal prison on Monday for running a nearly decade-long scheme in which he used parts from protected wildlife to create a giant hybrid species of wild sheep to sell at premium prices, federal prosecutors said.

The man, Arthur Schubarth, of Vaughn, Mont., illegally used tissue from a Marco Polo argali sheep from Central Asia and the testicles of a bighorn sheep native to the Rocky Mountains to make large hybrids of sheep that he could sell at high prices to shooting preserves, particularly in Texas, federal prosecutors said in a news release.

Mr. Schubarth pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Montana in March to two felony wildlife crimes: conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and substantively violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits the trafficking of illegally taken wildlife.

Rancher Gets 6 Months in Prison for Scheme to Create Giant Sheep Hybrid - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/30/us/montana-man-giant-sheep-sentence.html

He maybe should have gotten a bigger fine and more time. A cheat and a loser deserved what he got.

Rancher Gets 6 Months in Prison for Scheme to Create Giant Sheep Hybrid
Prosecutors said the Montanan illegally used tissue from a sheep from Central Asia and the testicles from a bighorn sheep to make large hybrids that he could sell at premium prices.






An 81-year-old Montana rancher was sentenced to six months in federal prison on Monday for running a nearly decade-long scheme in which he used parts from protected wildlife to create a giant hybrid species of wild sheep to sell at premium prices, federal prosecutors said.

The man, Arthur Schubarth, of Vaughn, Mont., illegally used tissue from a Marco Polo argali sheep from Central Asia and the testicles of a bighorn sheep native to the Rocky Mountains to make large hybrids of sheep that he could sell at high prices to shooting preserves, particularly in Texas, federal prosecutors said in a news release.

Mr. Schubarth pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Montana in March to two felony wildlife crimes: conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and substantively violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits the trafficking of illegally taken wildlife.

The Associated Press reported that Judge Brian Morris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana said that he had weighed Mr. Schubarth’s age and lack of criminal record to fashion a sentence that would discourage others from attempting to “change the genetic makeup of the creatures.”


Mr. Schubarth’s sentence includes three years of supervised release, according to court documents. He was also ordered to pay a $20,000 fine to the Lacey Act Reward Fund, a $4,000 payment to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and a $200 special assessment.

Before sentencing, Mr. Schubarth told the judge, “I will have to work the rest of my life to repair everything I’ve done,” The A.P. reported.

Jesse Laslovich, the U.S. attorney in Montana, said in a statement that Mr. Schubarth’s actions did not represent how Montanans treat their wildlife population.

“His actions threatened Montana’s native wildlife species for no other reason than he and his co-conspirators wanted to make more money,” Mr. Laslovich said. “Schubarth’s greed drove their conspiracy to bring to Montana parts of the largest sheep in the world from Kyrgyzstan. Such actions to create hybrid animals are as unnatural as they are illegal.”

Jason Holden, Mr. Schubarth’s lawyer, did not immediately return requests for comment on Monday night. The A.P. reported that Mr. Holden had said that cloning the giant Marco Polo sheep hunted in Kyrgyzstan in 2013 had ruined his client’s “life, reputation and family.”


“I think this has broken him,” Mr. Holden said.

From 2013 to 2021, prosecutors said, Mr. Schubarth worked with at least five people to create an enormous hybrid of sheep that could be sold to game ranches. He illegally imported viable tissue from a Marco Polo argali sheep from Kyrgyzstan into the United States. The male Marco Polo argali sheep, which are native to mountainous regions of Central Asia, can grow to weigh more than 300 pounds and have horns that can span more than five feet, according to the Justice Department.

Argali sheep are protected around the world by the Endangered Species Act. They are banned in Montana to protect native sheep from illnesses and hybridization, prosecutors said.

Federal prosecutors said that Mr. Schubarth had sent genetic material from the argali sheep to a lab to create cloned embryos that he then used to impregnate the ewes on his ranch. In May 2017, a single, pure genetic male Marco Polo argali sheep that Mr. Schubarth named Montana Mountain King was born, prosecutors said.

Mr. Schubarth and his unnamed co-conspirators harvested and used Montana Mountain King’s semen to artificially impregnate various other species of ewes — all of which were prohibited in Montana — to create larger hybrid animals that they could sell to captive hunting facilities, primarily in Texas, the authorities said.

In 2019, Mr. Schubarth bought the testicles of a wild-hunted Rocky Mountain bighorn and worked with others across the country to create an even larger sheep hybrid, prosecutors said.


His scheme was uncovered by the authorities after they learned that he was using forged veterinary inspection certificates to move prohibited sheep in and out of Montana, prosecutors said.

I didn't realize cloning was that accessible to someone outside of research labs. I bet nefarious people are cloning humans. I got my tinfoil hat on now.

"Such actions to create hybrid animals are as unnatural as they are illegal.”

Wonder what he thinks about all the virus among other things that are cooked up in labs. Funny an 81 year old In Montana gets prison and fines yet no one got squat for covid except profits.

Actually a pretty interesting operation for a guy that's not a scientist....legality notwithstanding...

Was he cloning or cross breeding? Sounds like cross breeding for the larger horns.

They're just mad they didn't think of it first

article said first they cloned embryos then used them to create breeding stock the way I read it.

Probably

"Such actions to create hybrid animals are as unnatural as they are illegal.”



Seems like he was punished for something other than he was charged with. Sounds like the lacy act is so vague they can use it to go after who ever they feel like going after.

my thoughts exactly!

I wonder if he even knew it was illegal?

that's impressive

Sounds like a big over reach too me.

Hope they don’t look into dog breeds….the jails will be full before lunch.

And they better not look at the red wolf DNA or muley/whitetail cross deer.

Oh wait, the red wolves have ESA protection and are constantly caught and studied. And they study their genetics while cross breeding with coyotes.

Will they hold GOD in violation of the Lacey act?

Agree, I the D-BAG was creative. The outfitters selling Big Horn “sacks” should be busted too.

Exactly