Arthur Schubarth, the 80 year old owner of Sun River Enterprises LLC or the Schubarth Ranch, a 215-acre "alternative livestock" ranch, plead guilty to conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and substantively violating the Lacey Act (the Lacey Act prohibits trade in wildlife, fish, and plants that have been illegally taken, possessed, transported, or sold).
Schubarth was also guilty of breaking international law as he imported parts of Marco Polo argali sheep, the largest sheep species in the world, from Kyrgyzstan into the U.S. without declaring it. He then cloned embryos with genetic material from the Marci Polo argali and then implanted in a female sheep on his ranch which produced a single male that Schubarth named the "Montana Mountain King," or MMK.
Additionally, Schubarth "forged veterinary inspection certificates, falsely claiming that the sheep were legally permitted species," according to the federal agency so that he could continue to sell the genetically modified sheep.
These charges where all brought in front of a judge in Great Falls, Montana where Schubarth plead guilty to conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and substantively violating the Lacey Act which protects native species.