GREAT FALLS - Arthur “Jack” Schubarth of Vaughn was sentenced in federal court in Great Falls on Monday for committing two felony wildlife crimes.
Schubarth was convicted on a charge of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, and substantively violating the Lacey Act as part of an almost decade-long effort to create giant sheep hybrids in the United States with an aim to sell the species to captive hunting facilities.
The Lacey Act prohibits interstate trade in wildlife that has been taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of federal or state law. The Lacey Act also prohibits the interstate sale of wildlife that has been falsely labeled.
Schubarth pleaded guilty in federal court in Great Falls on March 12, 2024.
On Monday, Schubarth was sentenced to six months in prison.
In addition to the prison sentence, Schubarth was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine to the Lacey Act Reward Fund, and a $4,000 payment to the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation.
Schubarth, 81, is the owner and operator of Sun River Enterprises LLC – also known as Schubarth Ranch – which is a 215-acre alternative livestock ranch in Vaughn.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said the Schubarth Ranch was engaged in the purchase, sale, and breeding of “alternative livestock” such as mountain sheep, mountain goats, and various ungulates. The primary market for Schubarth’s livestock is captive hunting operations, also known as shooting preserves or game ranches.
Jesse Laslovich, the US Attorney for the District of Montana, said in a news release: “Schubarth’s criminal conduct is not how Montanans treat our 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. 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, and I applaud the extensive collaboration and diligence of all of our law enforcement partners to bring Schubarth to justice.”
