(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Washington man admits killing eagles on Flathead Indian Reservation • Daily Montanan [1] ['Nicole Girten', 'More From Author', '- March'] Date: 2024-03-21 A Washington man pled guilty Wednesday to conspiring to hunt and kill bald and golden eagles on the Flathead Indian Reservation and then sell them on the black market. Travis John Branson, 48, of Cusick, Washington, admitted to conspiracy and two counts of unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles and violation of the Lacey Act, which prohibits trafficking of unlawfully taken wildlife. Co-defendant in the case Simon Paul remains a fugitive, according to Montana’s U.S. Attorney’s Office. The two men were indicted by a federal grand jury in Montana in December on allegations they illegally killed 3,600 birds, including bald and golden eagles on the Flathead Indian Reservation, then illegally sold the eagles on the black market. Investigators found messages from Branson in which he talked about killing eagles, saying he was “on a killing spree” to capture eagle feathers and at one point told someone he was “out [here] committing felonies,” according to the indictment. The government alleged the conspiracy between Branson and Paul happened between 2015 to 2021. Branson faces a maximum of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on the conspiracy and Lacey Act charges. Simultaneously, Branson also faces a maximum of one year in prison, a $5,000 fine and one year of supervised release for the misdemeanor unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles charge. He will also see an enhanced felony provision, which applies to the second or subsequent convictions of unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles, of a maximum of two years in prison, a $10,000 fine and one year of supervised release. The indictment said when Branson arrived on the Flathead Indian Reservation, Paul would meet and help kill, transport, and ship bald and golden eagles for future sales on the black market. The government alleged on March 1, 2021 a purchaser asked if Branson had any eagle feathers for sale, to which Branson responded by sending two photos of golden eagle tail feathers. Branson sold the eagle feathers for $650 and the buyer paid via PayPal. On March 13, 2021 Branson used a deer carcass “to lure in eagles” and then shot a golden eagle, cleaned it, and put parts of the bird into their vehicle to transport, according to the indictment. Law enforcement stopped Branson and recovered the feet and feathers of a golden eagle he had shot and killed near Polson. During that same stop, law enforcement recovered multiple phones from Branson, and after obtaining search warrants found incriminating images and text messages between Branson and potential buyers. Branson said during price negotiations with a potential eagle feather buyer, “I don’t get em for free though ..out hear committing felonies.” Branson told another interested client he was “[g]oing on a killing spree” for new feathers. Branson also said he knew international shipping for the feathers was illegal, saying, “International is still illegal ..I just get em for 99 cents ..price of a bullet..lol.” Congress passed the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act to protect the bald eagle as the country’s national symbol in 1940, and extended it in 1962 to protect golden eagles as well. The act prohibits anyone from killing, disturbing, or capturing bald or golden eagles, their feathers, nests, or eggs without a permit and includes criminal penalties for people who violate it. State law also prohibits people from killing birds except game birds and certain others like magpies, but allows for Tribal members to use eagle plumages during ceremonies. [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2024/03/21/washington-man-admits-killing-eagles-on-flathead-indian-reservation/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/