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BILLINGS, Mont. — A famed paleontologist who discovered the world’s best preserved dinosaur intends to plead guilty to stealing dinosaur bones from federal land.
The change-of-plea motion from Nathan Murphy follows investigations into his alleged attempts to cash in on the highly lucrative fossil market.
Murphy, 51, is a self-taught dinosaur expert. In 2000, he discovered a 77 million- year-old duck- billed hadrosaur known as Leonardo, considered the best preserved in the world.
Court documents filed Wednesday show Murphy has reached a plea deal on a federal charge that he stole bones from public land near Malta, Mont.
He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
