GREAT FALLS – John Lewton, a Montana resident, was sentenced Oct. 20 in federal court in Billings after pleading guilty to violating the federal Lacey Act involving the trafficking of wildlife.
Lewton was fined $20,000 and sentenced to one year of probation. As part of his probation, the court prohibited him from engaging in commercial hunting, fishing, trapping or outfitting activities for one year. He is also prohibited from accompanying others in the field who are engaged in commercial hunting, fishing, trapping or outfitting.
In October 2019 Lewton guided a client on a bighorn sheep hunt on public land in Montana. During the hunt, the client harvested a trophy-sized wild bighorn sheep. Lewton subsequently collected the sheep’s testicles and sold them to an alternative livestock ranch in Vaughn.
The collection and sale of reproductive material from the wild bighorn sheep violated Montana law, which addresses unlawful wildlife activities and offenses involving alternative livestock ranches.
The case highlights concerns about the unlawful movement and sale of wildlife and wildlife genetic material, particularly when those activities threaten native wildlife populations and undermine conservation efforts.
“Montanans have worked hard to protect the wildlife that we all cherish. The individuals in this case, driven by ego and greed, utilized every advantage and technology available to target our biggest and best wildlife,” said Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks warden investigator Dirk Paulsen.
Montana restricts the import and export of prohibited species, as well as the unlawful sale of wildlife and wildlife parts. These regulations help prevent the introduction and spread of disease and protect the state’s native wildlife populations.
Bighorn sheep populations are particularly vulnerable to disease-related die-offs, and introducing prohibited species or their genetic material into the state can pose significant risks to Montana’s wild sheep.
FWP warden investigator Bryan Golie has worked on the case since 2020.
“It’s a sad thing to see how these wild sheep genetics were stolen from our citizens, to ultimately end up being sold to out-of-state high-fenced shooter farms for nothing more than a profit and a trophy on the wall,” Golie said.
Source: montana FWP
Photo: Pixabay
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