Man to plead guilty in 'killing spree' of eagles and other birds for feathers prized by tribes

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Man to plead guilty in ‘killing spree’ of eagles and other birds for feathers prized by tribes

BY MATTHEW BROWN
Updated 6:38 PM EST, February 27, 2024

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.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/eagles-shot-trafficking-feathers-black-market-d290b0d4d537904c885a11d3baf6e5a3

[montanacowboy]

1. Was wondering when they would catch these SOB's

but I find it hard to believe the residents of the Flathead Indian Reservation didn't know about it; he was there for a year killing birds? where the hell was the Tribal Police? seems like more people than him need to go down for this. The Eagle is our national symbol and a protected bird. I am not sure of their status on the reservation. This is just sad on a lot of levels.