Giant hybrid sheep

Arthur Schubarth of Montana was convicted of using tissue from large Asian Marco Polo sheep to make a clone and then a "giant" hybrid.

The judge seems to have said that the real crime was modifying breeds of animals, but that is done all the time. The article does not say that the project involved any genetic engineering (as distinct from ordinary breeding), but that is not a crime either.

Was this operation alleged to be harmful? If so, how? Are these sheep dangerous to people? Could they become feral and overgraze areas? I expect it would be easy to control their numbers by hunting, or wipe them out if necessary.

Maybe all that is irrelevant to the accusation — it could be simply that he did not have the required permits.