An 80-year-old Montana rancher pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday for creating “giant hybrid sheep” he and his five co-conspirators would sell to hunting preserves for exorbitant prices, authorities said.
Arthur “Jack” Schubarth admitted to conspiring to violate the Lacey Act and substantively violating the Lacey Act while owning and operating under Sun River Enterprises LLC, according to court documents filed in the District of Montana. He committed crimes at Schubarth Ranch, a 215-acre alternative livestock ranch in Vaughn, Montana, records show.
From 2013 to 2021, Schubarth sold mountain sheep, mountain goats and various ungulates primarily to captive hunting facilities, the Justice Department said Tuesday in a news release.
“Argali sheep are trophy hunted due to their large size and unique long spiraling horns,” according to court documents. “… Argali horns are the largest of any wild sheep.”
Polo argali, natives to the high elevations of the Pamir region of Central Asia, “are prohibited in the State of Montana to protect native sheep from disease and hybridization,” the Justice Department said.
Argali sheep have a market value of over $350 per animal, according to court documents.
