Billings, Mont. – A man helped kill at least 118 eagles to sell their feathers and body parts on the black market as part of a long-running wildlife trafficking ring in the western US that authorities allege. Thousands of birds were killedCourt filings show.
Travis John Branson will be sentenced in federal court on September 18 for his role. A trafficking ring which operates on Flathead Indian reservations in Montana and elsewhere.
Prosecutors say the Cusick, Washington, man illegally sold Bald and Golden Eagle parts for between $180,000 and $360,000 from 2009 to 2021.
“It was not unusual for Branson to take upwards of nine eagles at a time,” lawyers for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Montana wrote in a court filing Tuesday. “Branson not only killed the eagles, but he dismembered them to sell for future profit.”
Eagle wings, tails, feathers and other parts are highly sought after by Native Americans who use them in ceremonies.
Prosecutors asked Judge Dana Christensen to sentence Branson to “substantial imprisonment” and restitution totaling $777,250. That included $5,000 for each dead eagle and $1,750 for each of the 107 hawks that investigators said he and his co-conspirators killed.
Branson’s attorney disputed the prosecutors’ claims, saying they were exaggerating the number of birds killed. Allegation of the prosecution Or about 3,600 birds A deceased co-defendant, Simon Paul, who is still living. Branson’s attorney suggested in court filings that the mention of the death toll fueled public outrage over the case.
“It is noteworthy that Mr. Paul himself went from an estimate of 3,600 to 1,000 birds,” federal defender Andrew Nelson wrote in Tuesday’s filing, referring to a statement Paul made to officers in a March 13, 2021, traffic stop.
Nelson also said restitution for the Hawks was not guaranteed because those murders were not included in last year’s grand jury indictment. He said Branson has no prior criminal history and asked for a sentence of probation.
Branson and Paul grew up on the Flathead Reservation. Since he was charged, Paul has been hiding in Canada to avoid justice, according to Nelson.
Paul’s defense attorney did not immediately respond to a telephone message seeking comment.
Investigators documented a minimal number of eagles and hawks killed by Branson’s text messages, prosecutors said. Two years of his messages were not recovered, leading prosecutors to say that “the full scope of Branson’s murder has not been captured.”
Government officials have not disclosed any other species of birds killed.
Bald and golden eagles are sacred to many Native Americans. The US The law prohibits anyone from killing, injuring or disturbing eagles or taking their nests or eggs without a permit.
According to a recent report, illegal shooting is the leading cause of golden eagle deaths Govt Study.
Members of federally recognized tribes can legally obtain feathers and other bird parts National Eagle Repository in Colorado and non-governmental repositories in Oklahoma and Phoenix. The National Repository has a years-long backlog of requests.
Branson pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy, wildlife trafficking and two counts of trafficking in federally protected bald and golden eagles. He faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the most serious charge, conspiracy. Under the plea deal, prosecutors said they would seek to dismiss additional trafficking charges.
Federal guidelines call for about three to four years in prison for Branson, they said.
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