Washington man sentenced to nearly four years in prison for conspiring to kill eagles and hawks to sell on the black market

According to the US Attorney’s Office – District of Montana.

U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen sentenced Travis J. Branson on Thursday to three years and 10 months in prison and ordered him to pay $777,250 in restitution, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said in a news release.

Branson, a former member of the Flathead Reservation, pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy, two counts of unlawful trafficking in bald and golden eagles, and violation of the Lacey Act, which prohibits interstate commerce in wildlife taken, possessed, transported or sold in the United States. violation of federal or state law, the release said.

“Adopted as America’s national symbol in 1782, the bald eagle represents our country’s core ideals: freedom, strength and justice,” Laslovich said in the news release. “Once on the brink of extinction, eagles were only able to recover because of conservation efforts by the American people and federal laws that protected them. None of that mattered to Travis Branson. Instead, Branson went on to self-described “massacres” of thousands of eagles and hawks, slaughtering them and selling the parts and feathers for profit on the black market. He knew he was committing crimes and even joked that the price of killing them was the price of a bullet. But his behavior was no laughing matter. With today’s sentence, the cost to Branson was more than a bunch of bullets; he forfeited the very freedom that the bald eagle symbolizes.”

The investigation, conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Fish and Game Department of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, found that Branson and others killed approximately 3,600 birds during the conspiracy, the release said. At least 118 eagles and 107 hawks killed were traced to Branson and documented through his text messages.

According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, there were approximately 316,700 bald eagles in the United States in 2020. It is a protected species.

“We will feel the impact of the loss of raptors on the Flathead Reservation for years to come,” Mike Dolson, chairman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, said in the news release. “We hope this helps put an end to illegal poaching in our homelands and gives these birds a chance to recover. Eagles are not only a valuable and important part of the sanctuary’s ecosystem, but they also have a profound place in CSKT’s cultural and spiritual practices.”

The government alleged in court documents that Branson and others hunted and killed eagles on the Flathead Reservation from about January 2015 to about March 2021, the release said. Branson then sold the eagles on the black market in the US and elsewhere.

Branson traveled from Washington to the Indian Reservation, where he met Simon Paul, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Branson and Paul shot, transported, and shipped bald and golden eagles for future black market sales. Paul remains on the run.

The government estimated that Branson made between $180,000 and $360,000 between 2009 and 2021 by selling eagle feathers and parts for a profit on the black market.

Branson shot and killed a golden eagle near Polson, Montana, in March 2021, the release said. Law enforcement officers stopped Branson and recovered the golden eagle’s feet and feathers from his vehicle and later recovered the rest of the carcass in a field.

When negotiating the purchase price for eagle feathers with a potential buyer, Branson said in a message, “I’m not getting them for free though… hear crimes are being committed.”

Branson will serve three years of supervised release after prison.

“The unlawful killing of these majestic birds violates federal law and is a serious violation of our nation’s cherished natural heritage,” said Edward Grace, deputy director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, in the press release. “Travis Branson’s blatant disregard for the law and the sanctity of these protected species highlights the urgent need for strong enforcement and increased public awareness regarding wildlife trafficking. His actions are particularly egregious given the significant number of bald and golden eagles he has killed for personal gain, and such behavior will not be tolerated.”