SEPTEMBER 5, 2024:
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — 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 U.S. that authorities allege killed thousands of birds, court filings show.
Travis John Branson is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on Sept. 18, 2024, for his role in the trafficking ring that operated on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana and elsewhere.
Prosecutors say the Cusick, Washington man made between $180,000 and $360,000 from 2009 to 2021 selling bald and golden eagle parts illegally.
“It was not uncommon for Branson to take upwards of nine eagles at a time,” prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Montana wrote in a Tuesday (Sept. 3, 2024) court filing. “Not only did Branson kill eagles, but he hacked them into pieces to sell for future profits.”
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 “significant imprisonment” and restitution totaling $777,250. That includes $5,000 for every dead eagle and $1,750 for each of 107 hawks that investigators said he and his co-conspirators killed.
Branson’s attorney disputed the prosecutors’ claims and said they overstated the number of birds killed. The prosecution’s allegation that as many as 3,600 birds died came from a co-defendant, Simon Paul, who remains at large. Branson’s attorney suggested in court filings that the stated death toll has fueled public outcry over the case.
“It is notable that Mr. Paul himself went from a 3,600 to 1,000 bird estimate,” Federal Defender Andrew Nelson wrote in a Tuesday filing, referring to a statement Paul made to authorities in a March 13, 2021, traffic stop.
Nelson also said restitution for the hawks was not warranted since those killings were not included in last year’s grand jury indictment. He said Branson had no prior criminal history and asked for a sentence of probation.
Branson and Paul grew up in the Flathead Reservation area. Since their indictment, Paul has been hiding in Canada to evade justice, according to Nelson.
Paul’s defense attorney did not immediately respond to a telephone message seeking comment.
Investigators documented the minimum number of eagles and hawks killed through Branson’s text messages, prosecutors said. Two years of his messages were not recovered, leading prosecutors to say the “full scope of Branson’s killings is not captured.”
Government officials have not revealed any other species of birds killed.
Bald and golden eagles are sacred to many Native Americans. U.S. law prohibits anyone without a permit from killing, wounding or disturbing eagles, or taking their nests or eggs.
Illegal shootings are a leading cause of golden eagle deaths, according to a recent government study.
Members of federally recognized tribes can get feathers and other bird parts legally through from the National Eagle Repository in Colorado and non-government repositories in Oklahoma and Phoenix. There’s a yearslong backlog of requests at the national repository.
Branson pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy, wildlife trafficking and two counts of trafficking federally protected bald and golden eagles. He faced a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the most serious charge, conspiracy. Under a plea deal, prosecutors said they would seek to dismiss additional trafficking charges.
Federal guidelines call for a sentence of roughly three to four years in prison for Branson, they said.
MARCH 20, 2024:
UNDATED (AP)- A Washington state man accused of helping kill thousands of birds is expected to plead guilty Wednesday (March 20, 2024) to shooting eagles on an American Indian reservation in Montana and selling their feathers and body parts on the black market.
The prosecution over golden and bald eagles killed on the Flathead Indian Reservation underscores the persistence of a thriving illegal trade in eagle feathers despite a law enforcement crackdown in the 2010s that netted dozens of criminal indictments across the U.S. West and Midwest.
A grand jury indictment last December quotes defendant Travis John Branson saying in a January 2021 text that he was going on a “killing spree” to obtain eagle tails. Branson and a second defendant, Simon Paul, killed approximately 3,600 birds, including eagles on the Flathead reservation and elsewhere, according to the indictment. Federal authorities have not disclosed how all the birds were killed, nor where else the killings happened.
Branson, of Cusick, Washington, sold an unidentified purchaser two sets of golden eagle tail feathers — highly prized among many Native American tribes — for $650 in March 2021, according to court documents.
Less than two weeks later, law enforcement stopped Branson on the reservation and found in his vehicle the feet and feathers of a golden eagle he had shot near Polson, Montana, according to filings that included a photo of the bird’s severed feet with their massive talons. The bird’s carcass had been “cleaned” by the second defendant, Paul, and was found in a nearby field, prosecutors wrote.
Multiple phones seized by authorities during the stop yielded photos and text messages that described “the shooting, killing and ultimate selling of bald and golden eagles throughout the United States,” prosecutors said.
Feathers and other parts of eagles are illegal to sell but widely used by Native Americans in ceremonies and during powwows.
Branson, who remained free following the indictment, reached a deal with prosecutors last month to plead guilty to four counts: conspiracy, wildlife trafficking and two counts of trafficking in federally protected bald and golden eagles.
Branson could not be reached for comment before Wednesday’s hearing in Missoula. His public defender declined comment while the case is pending.
Paul of St. Ignatius, Montana, remains at large. A federal judge issued an arrest warrant for Paul when he did not show up for an initial court hearing in December.
The indictment described Branson and Paul trafficking golden and bald eagles or their parts on at least 11 occasions between December 2020 and the stop of Branson by law enforcement on March 13, 2021.
But court filings suggest the illegal activity went on much longer. They outline a conspiracy that began in 2015 and involved other people who killed eagles on the Flathead Reservation but have not been publicly identified.
In a 2016 text message quoted by prosecutors, Branson appeared to acknowledge that shipping eagles internationally was illegal, adding, “I just get em for 99 cents…price of a bullet.”
In another text exchange, Branson was negotiating an eagle feather sale when he allegedly wrote, “I don’t get em for free though….out hear (sic) committing felonies,” according to the court filings.
He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine at sentencing on the most serious charge, conspiracy. Under the plea deal, lawyers for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Montana said they would seek to dismiss additional trafficking charges and would recommend a sentencing guideline reduction that could lessen the severity of Branson’s punishment.
The criminal case comes almost a decade after a multi-state U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service trafficking investigation dubbed “Operation Dakota Flyer” led to charges against 35 defendants and the recovery of more than 150 eagles, 100 hawks and owls and 20 species of other protected birds that were seized or bought by authorities in undercover purchases, according to federal officials.
Federally recognized tribes can apply for permits with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take a bald or golden eagle for religious purposes, and enrolled tribal members can apply for feathers and other bird parts from the National Eagle Repository in Colorado and non-government repositories in Oklahoma and Phoenix. There’s a yearslong backlog of requests at the National Repository and researchers say the high demand is fueling the black market for eagle parts.
FEBRUARY 27, 2024:
MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) —A Washington state man accused of helping kill more than 3,000 birds — including eagles on a Montana Indian reservation — then illegally selling their carcasses and feathers intends to plead guilty to illegal wildlife trafficking and other criminal charges, court documents show.
Federal prosecutors say Travis John Branson and others killed about 3,600 birds during a yearslong “killing spree” on the Flathead Indian Reservation and elsewhere. Feathers and other parts of eagles and other birds are highly prized among many Native American tribes for use in sacred ceremonies and during powwows.
Branson of Cusick, Washington, will plead guilty under an agreement with prosecutors to reduced charges including conspiracy, wildlife trafficking and two counts of unlawful trafficking of eagles, according to court documents filed Tuesday. The documents did not detail how many birds he will admit to killing.
A second suspect, Simon Paul of St. Ignatius, Montana, remains at large after an arrest warrant was issued when he failed to show up for an initial court appearance in early January. His attorney, Dwight Schulte, declined to comment Tuesday.
The defendants are accused of selling eagle parts on a black market that has been a long-running problem for U.S. wildlife officials. Illegal shootings are a leading cause of golden eagle deaths, according to a recent government study.
Immature golden eagle feathers are especially valued among tribes, and a tail set from one of the birds can sell for several hundred dollars, according to details disclosed during a separate trafficking case in South Dakota last year in which a Montana man was sentenced to three years in prison.
A grand jury in December indicted the two men on 15 criminal charges. They worked with others — who haven’t been named by authorities — to hunt and kill the birds and on at least one occasion used a dead deer to lure an eagle that was killed, according to the indictment.
Federal officials have not said how many eagles were killed or what other kinds of birds were involved in the scheme, which they say began in 2015 and continued until 2021. The indictment included details on only 13 eagles and eagle parts that were allegedly trafficked by the defendants.
Branson, who was released from custody following a Jan. 8 court appearance, faces years in prison and substantial fines under the terms of the plea agreement. He also would be responsible for complete restitution of damages, including from offenses that would be dismissed under the plea deal.
Branson did not respond to a message left at a publicly listed phone number for him. His attorney, Assistant Federal Defender Andrew Nelson, declined to comment on the agreement.
Text messages obtained by investigators showed Branson and others telling buyers he was “on a killing spree” to collect more eagle tail feathers for future sales, according to the indictment. Prosecutors described Paul as a shooter and shipper of eagles for Branson.
Bald eagles are the national symbol of the United States, and both bald and golden eagles are widely considered sacred by American Indians. U.S. law prohibits anyone without a permit from killing, wounding or disturbing eagles, or taking their nests or eggs. Even taking feathers found in the wild can be a crime.
Federally recognized tribes can apply for permits with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take a bald or golden eagle for religious purposes, and enrolled tribal members can apply for eagle feathers and other parts from the National Eagle Repository. But there’s a lengthy backlog of requests that eagle researchers say is driving the black market for eagle parts.
The operator of a tribal feather repository in Oklahoma said law enforcement officials need to be prosecuting those who buy the feathers — not just traffickers — if they want to disrupt the market.
“The buyers need to be made examples of,” said Bill Voelker, a member of the Comanche Nation and executive director of Sia: The Comanche Nation Ethno-Ornithological Initiative in Cyril, Oklahoma. “That’s the only way they’re going to tackle it so there’s less of this going on and fewer birds losing their lives.”
DECEMBER 14, 2023:
MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — Two men killed about 3,600 birds, including bald and golden eagles, during a “killing spree” on Montana’s Flathead Indian Reservation and elsewhere, then sold eagle parts on a black market that has been a long-running problem for U.S. wildlife officials, a federal grand jury indictment says.
The men worked with others to hunt and kill the birds, according to the indictment, and in at least one instance used a dead deer to lure in an eagle that was shot. The two defendants conspired with others who weren’t named to sell eagle feathers, tails, wings and other parts for “significant sums of cash” across the United States and elsewhere, the indictment said.
Simon Paul, 42, of St. Ignatius, Montana and Travis John Branson, 48, of Cusick, Washington, face 13 counts of unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles and one count each of conspiracy and violating wildlife trafficking laws.
Text messages obtained by investigators showed Branson and others telling buyers he was “on a killing spree” to collect more eagle tail feathers for future sales, according to the indictment that described Paul as a “shooter” for Branson.
The indictment did not say how many of the 3,600 birds killed were eagles, and federal officials did not immediately respond to questions about the case.
Bald eagles are the national symbol of the United States, and both bald and golden eagles are widely considered sacred by American Indians. U.S. law prohibits anyone without a permit from killing, wounding or disturbing eagles or taking any parts such as nests or eggs. Even taking feathers found in the wild can be a crime.
Federally recognized tribes can apply for permits with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take a bald or golden eagle for religious purposes, and enrolled tribal members can apply for eagle feathers and other parts from the National Eagle Repository. But federal law does not allow individuals to kill bald or golden eagles.
Bald eagles were killed off across most of the U.S. last century, due in large part to the pesticide DDT, but flourished under federal protections and came off the endangered species list in 2007. Their population has been rapidly increasing in recent years. Golden eagle populations are less secure, and researchers say energy development, lead poisoning, illegal shootings and other problems have pushed the species to the brink of decline.
There are an estimated 346,000 bald eagles in the U.S., versus about 40,000 golden eagles, which need much larger areas to survive and are more inclined to have trouble with humans.
Widespread illegal eagle killings last decade brought a federal investigation that resulted in criminal convictions against 17 defendants from several states and two South Dakota pawn shops. In that case, the inspected bird parts were bought and sold over the internet, including in Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. Earlier this year a Montana man was sentenced to three years in prison after prosecutors in South Dakota said he sold golden eagle tails for several hundred dollars each.
The grand jury indictment unsealed last week alleges Paul and Branson conspired to kill and sell the eagles illegally near Ronan, Montana, from 2015 and 2021. Branson traveled from Washington state to the Flathead Reservation to shoot the eagles. Paul lived near the reservation and would also help to Branson ship the animals to buyers.
“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 indictment states.
Paul and Branson were not in custody and were issued summons to appear for arraignments on Jan. 8.
Court documents did not name attorneys for the men, and they could not be immediately reached at telephone numbers listed for them.
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