Man admits to ‘killing spree’ of bald eagles to sell their feathers

A man pleaded guilty Wednesday to killing 3,600 birds, including protected eagles, and selling their body parts and feathers on a black market.

Travis John Branson of Cusick, Washington, admits he participated in a “killing spree” of golden eagles and bald eagles so he and his alleged partner could sell pieces of the birds and their feathers, according to Montana federal court documents.

He pleaded guilty to conspiracy, two counts of unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles and violation of the Lacey Act. The Lacy Act prohibits interstate trade in wildlife that has been taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of federal or state law.

Branson, 48, pleaded not guilty in January following his indictment but accepted a plea deal on a conspiracy count, two counts of bartering a golden or bald eagle and one count of selling wildlife with a market value of more than $350, court documents show.

While negotiating with a potential buyer, Branson texted: “I don’t get em for free though. out (here) committing felonies.”

Congress enacted the Bald Eagle Protection Act in 1940, a century and a half after the Founding Fathers decided the bird should represent the nascent nation. The Second Continental Congress on June 20, 1782, designated the bald eagle as the national emblem.

“The bald eagle is not merely a bird of biological interest, but this country’s national symbol, which reflects America’s ideals of freedom,” according to Branson’s indictment. In 1962, Congress extended the protections to include golden eagles, renaming it The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

A 2020 report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates there were fewer than 317,000 bald eagles and more than 71,000 occupied nests in the contiguous United States. The golden eagle population in the interior western United States was estimated to be about 31,800, according to a 2016 federal report.

The birds were killed on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana. The reservation is home to Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes, which are a combination of the Salish, the Pend d’Oreille and the Kootenai, according to the state’s office of Indian Affairs. About 5,000 enrolled tribal members live on or near the reservation. (There are religious and cultural allowances for Native Americans to obtain eagle parts and feathers to use in ceremonies for healing, naming and marriage.)

Branson’s alleged partner in the killing spree, Simon Paul, lives outside the reservation in Montana. Paul has also been indicted but failed to appear on a summons, resulting in the court issuing an order for Paul’s arrest.

Prosecutors allege that Branson traveled from his home in northeast Washington to meet with Paul, who worked as a “shooter” and “shipper,” according to the indictment.

The Montana scheme included killing both kinds of eagles from January 2015 to March 2021 near the reservation, per the indictment. Law enforcement caught Branson just after a shoot in March 2021, which led to a federal search warrant that gave investigators access to multiple cellphones. Information on those phones laid out the enterprise.

On Dec. 17, 2020, Branson texted a buyer a photo of a golden eagle tail set. Two days later, Paul mailed the eagle feather set from near the reservation to Texas. On Dec. 21, Branson got a message from the buyer: “Got that thang from Simon. And the mirror feathers. Tnks.”

A buyer on March 1, 2021, messaged Branson and asked if he had eagle feathers for sale. Branson responded with two pictures of golden eagle tail feathers, according to the indictment. The buyer sent Branson $650 via PayPal, and Branson mailed a package containing feathers.

Later that month, on March 13, Branson was caught.

Following a shoot near the Reservation, law enforcement officers stopped Branson and found the feet and feathers of a golden eagle in his vehicle. Officers also found the remaining carcass of the golden eagle in an open field.

The charges carry a maximum total of 13 years in prison, per court documents.

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Andrew Jeong contributed to this report.