A man from Washington state is expected to plead guilty on Wednesday to charges of shooting eagles on an American Indian reservation in Montana and selling their feathers and body parts on the black market.
The case highlights the ongoing illegal trade in eagle feathers despite previous law enforcement crackdowns in the 2010s that resulted in multiple criminal indictments across the Western and Midwestern United States.
An indictment from last December alleges that defendant Travis John Branson, along with a second defendant Simon Paul, killed around 3,600 birds, including eagles, on the Flathead reservation and other locations. The methods of killing and additional locations have not been disclosed by federal authorities.
Branson, from Cusick, Washington, allegedly sold two sets of golden eagle tail feathers to an unidentified buyer for $650 in March 2021.
Shortly after, Branson was stopped by law enforcement on the reservation and found with the feet and feathers of a golden eagle he had shot near Polson, Montana. The indictment also mentions that Branson and Paul returned to a previously killed deer to attract eagles and shot a golden eagle.
Feathers and other parts of eagles are illegal to sell but are commonly used by Native Americans in ceremonies and powwows.
Branson reached a plea deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to conspiracy, wildlife trafficking, and two counts of trafficking in federally protected bald and golden eagles.
The indictment also mentions that the illegal activity involving golden and bald eagles took place on at least 11 occasions between December 2020 and March 13, 2021.
Branson faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the most serious charge of conspiracy.
The criminal case follows a previous multi-state investigation that resulted in charges against 35 defendants and the recovery of numerous protected birds.
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