An 81-year-old Montana man was sentenced Monday to six months in federal prison 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.

Arthur “Jack” Schubarth cloned illegally imported genetic material from the Marco Polo argali to create hybrid sheep that would draw higher prices from hunting preserves

Arthur ‘Jack’ Schubarth says he simply wanted ‘to make the best sheep I could for this sheep industry.’

A Montana livestock ranch isn't where you'd expect to find cutting edge and highly illegal cloning operations.

Arthur "Jack" Schubarth's crime "ruined his life, reputation and family," his attorneys said. The rancher was sentenced to six months in prison.

Prosecutors said the Montanan illegally used tissue from a sheep from Central Asia and the testicles from a bighorn sheep to make large hybrids that he could sell at premium prices.

The controversial operation involved the creation of cloned embryos using tissue and testicles from the giant Marco Polo sheep.

The 81-year-old breeder imported tissue from the Marco Polo argali sheep, the world's largest, from Kyrgyzstan.

A Montana man was sentenced to six months in prison for crimes committed during his effort to create a giant sheep hybrid for captive hunting, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Monday.