After missing court on allegations of murdering thousands of birds, including bald and golden eagles, a federal judge issued an arrest warrant for Montana resident Simon Paul. Starting in 2015, Paul and Travis John Branson allegedly hunted and killed 3,600 birds on Montana’s Flathead Indian Reservation and other sites with unidentified individuals for six years.
Montana Men Face Arrest for Illegally Selling Eagle Parts on Black Market
Last month’s grand jury indictment shows that the defendants sold eagle parts on the black market, a recurrent issue for U.S. wildlife authorities. There are 13 counts of bald and golden eagle trafficking, conspiracy, and wildlife trafficking violations.
Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto issued Simon Paul’s arrest warrant after he missed his U.S. District Court arraignment in Missoula. Travis John Branson, the second defendant, pleaded not guilty and was released awaiting further proceedings.
According to the accusation, Paul and Branson conspired to illegally hunt and kill birds. One time, they baited an eagle with a dead deer and shot it. Black market sales of eagle feathers, tails, wings, and other parts brought in large amounts of money.
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Severe Penalties for Conspiracy and Wildlife Trafficking Violations Linked to Eagle Killings
Conspiracy and wildlife trafficking violations carry five-year federal prison sentences. The maximum penalty for trafficking eagles is one year for the first crime and two years for successive offenses.
Bald and golden eagles are revered by American Indians. The U.S. bans killing, hurting, disturbing, or taking eagle nests or eggs without a permit. Energy development and lead poisoning threaten golden eagle populations, but bald eagles have recovered under federal safeguards from DDT. Due to these circumstances, researchers worry that the golden eagle is declining.
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