Montana man sentenced to six months in prison for illegally cloning sheep

An 81-year-old Montana man, Arthur “Jack” Schubarth, was sentenced to six months in federal prison for illegally cloning giant sheep using tissue from sheep hunted in Central Asia and the U.S. Schubarth pleaded guilty in March, admitting he used genetic material from Marco Polo sheep to create hybrid sheep for captive trophy hunting in Texas and Minnesota. U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris fined Schubarth $20,000 and ordered him to pay $4,000 to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Foundation, saying the sentence would deter others from attempting to “change the genetic makeup of the creatures.”

Schubarth, owner of Sun River Enterprises LLC, admitted, “I will have to work the rest of my life to repair everything I’ve done.” His attorney, Jason Holden, said the cloning “ruined his life, reputation, and family.” Prosecutors stated the illegal operation endangered wildlife and involved many states. Schubarth’s hybrid sheep, with Marco Polo DNA, will be slaughtered by the end of the year, with the meat donated to food banks.