Man who killed eagles and trafficked their parts faces sentencing Thursday
BILLINGS, Mont. — A Washington state man who pleaded guilty to killing at least 118 eagles as part of a wildlife trafficking ring that operated on a Native American Reservation in Montana faces sentencing Thursday before a federal judge.
BILLINGS, Mont. — A Washington state man who pleaded guilty to killing at least 118 eagles as part of a wildlife trafficking ring that operated on a Native American Reservation in Montana faces sentencing Thursday before a federal judge.
The trafficking ring sold eagle feathers and parts on a black market that exploits high demand among tribal members who use them in powwows and other ceremonies.
The yearslong poaching operation was centered on the Flathead Indian Reservation. The defendant and others killed at least 107 hawks and as many as 3,600 birds overall, prosecutors said.
Travis John Branson of Cusick, Washington, pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy and wildlife trafficking charges. A second person has been indicted in the case and prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office have said others were also involved.
The prosecutors asked U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen in Missoula to impose a “significant” prison sentence and order restitution of over $750,000. They seek $5,000 for each eagle killed and $1,750 for each hawk.
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