Charges against them include conspiracy, violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act
Two men, Simon Paul and Travis John Branson, in Montana, are facing federal charges for engaging in a black market scheme involving the poaching of federally protected bald and golden eagles. The illicit operation included selling feathers and body parts of these eagles to buyers across the country, the Washington Post reported.
Court documents reveal that over the course of 6 years, Paul and Branson allegedly killed around 3,600 birds, including eagles, within the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana and other locations.
Charges against them include conspiracy, violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which prohibits the killing and capturing of these species, and violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits the trafficking of illegally acquired wildlife. If convicted, the accused could be sentenced to several years in prison and substantial fines.
Prosecutors documented at least 11 incidents of selling whole golden eagles or their body parts, as well as at least two incidents involving bald eagles. The financial gains from these sales remain unclear, and attempts to reach prosecutors for comment were unsuccessful as of late Wednesday.
The indictment suggests that Branson openly acknowledged the illegal nature of his poaching activities in messages, stating that he was "on a killing spree" to profit from harvesting feathers from eagle tails and wings. Paul allegedly played a role as a shooter and shipper of bald and golden eagles on the black market, while Branson travelled from Washington state to the Flathead Indian Reservation for the operation.
Despite the legal protections in place, exceptions exist in the United States, allowing certain Native Americans to possess eagle parts for religious or cultural purposes. The bald eagle, once endangered, has made a significant recovery, with a population of about 316,700 in the Lower 48 states as of 2018-2019. The golden eagle population in the interior western United States was estimated to be around 31,800 in 2016.