Montana. An 81-year-old man from Montana was sentenced to six months in federal prison on Monday for illegally using tissue and testicles from large sheep hunted in Central Asia and the US to create hybrid sheep for captive trophy hunting in Texas and Minnesota.

US District Court Judge Brian Morris expressed difficulty in determining a suitable sentence for Arthur "Jack" Schubarth of Vaughn, Montana, considering his age and clean criminal record while also aiming to deter future attempts to alter the genetic makeup of wildlife.

In addition to the prison time, Morris imposed a $20,000 fine and ordered Schubarth to pay $4,000 to the US Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Schubarth will be allowed to report to a Bureau of Prisons medical facility.

"I will have to work the rest of my life to repair everything I've done," Schubarth told the judge just before his sentencing.

His attorney, Jason Holden, argued that Schubarth's cloning of the giant Marco Polo sheep hunted in Kyrgyzstan in 2013 has devastated his client's "life, reputation, and family." Holden sought a probationary sentence, emphasizing that Schubarth has always cared for animals and accomplished a feat no one else could have by cloning the sheep, which he named Montana Mountain King (MMK).

The US Fish and Wildlife Services have confiscated the cloned animal, which is currently being housed in an accredited facility until it can be transferred to a zoo, according to Richard Bare, a special agent with the wildlife service.

Schubarth operates Sun River Enterprises LLC, a 215-acre alternative livestock ranch that breeds animals primarily for private hunting preserves. He has been involved in the game farm business since 1987.

In March, Schubarth pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to clone a Marco Polo sheep illegally brought into the US and using the clone and its descendants to create a larger hybrid species for trophy hunting.

Marco Polo sheep, known for being the largest in the world, can weigh up to 300 pounds (136 kilograms) and have curled horns reaching up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) long.

Court records revealed that Schubarth sold semen from MMK and hybrid sheep to three individuals in Texas and that a Minnesota resident brought 74 sheep to Schubarth's ranch for insemination during the conspiracy. Schubarth sold one direct offspring from MMK for $10,000, with others fetching smaller amounts. The total value of the animals involved was estimated to be between $250,000 and $550,000.

In October 2019, Schubarth reportedly paid a hunting guide $400 for the testicles of a trophy-sized Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep harvested in Montana, from which he extracted and sold semen.

Sheep breeds not permitted in Montana were introduced into the state as part of the conspiracy, including 43 sheep from Texas.

In a letter attached to the sentencing memo, Schubarth expressed deep regret for his actions, stating, "I got my normal mindset clouded by my enthusiasm and looked for any grey area in the law to make the best sheep I could for this sheep industry. My family has never been broke, but we are now."

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