In the state case , Murphy pleaded guilty to a felony charge of theft . Attorney says well - known scientists will plea guilty to stealing dinosaur bones . Nate Murphy , of the Judith River Research Institute , has made major fossil discoveries . He is accused of taking fossils from federal lands in Montana . Smithsonian : ` ` Theft of fossils from pubic lands has long been a problem ''
Attorney says well - known scientists will plea guilty to stealing dinosaur bones . Nate Murphy , of the Judith River Research Institute , has made major fossil discoveries . He is accused of taking fossils from federal lands in Montana . Smithsonian : ` ` Theft of fossils from pubic lands has long been a problem ''