MISSOULA — The man who admitted to killing over 100 eagles and thousands of other birds on the Flathead Indian Reservation to sell on the black market was sentenced Thursday to nearly four years in prison.
Travis John Branson of Washington pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy and wildlife trafficking charges.
He and several others killed at least 118 eagles and 3,600 other birds in a poaching operation on tribal land.
Prosecutors say Branson traveled from Washington to shoot, transport, and ship bald and golden eagles for future black market sales.
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Branson was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison.
He was also ordered to pay nearly $800,000 in restitution which amounts to $5,000 per eagle killed and $1,750 per hawk killed.
Prosecutors said the sentence was appropriate for the years-long operation Branson was running. U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich told MTN, "Mr. Branson conspired with others on the scheme for which he is charged over the course of six years from approximately January 2015 through March of 2021. But we know he was doing it longer dating back to the late eighties. He thought this was funny, but he's not laughing today."
Another man, Simon Paul, has been accused of trafficking the federally-protected birds with Branson but he has not been convicted.
