A Washington man accused of aiding and abetting the killing of thousands of birds was charged Wednesday with federal charges of shooting eagles on an American Indian reservation in Montana and selling the feathers and body parts on the black market. Pleaded guilty in court.
Travis John Brunson pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy, wildlife trafficking and trafficking in federally protected bald and golden eagles under a plea agreement reached with government attorneys last month.
The charges against the eagles killed on the Flathead Indian Reservation come despite dozens of criminal charges in the western and midwestern U.S. following a law enforcement crackdown in the 2010s on illegal trade in eagle feathers. This highlights that it is still actively practiced. Eagle feathers and other parts are widely used by Native Americans during ceremonies and powwows.
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Court documents quote Brunson in a January 2021 document in which he said he was committing “murderous acts” to obtain the eagle’s tail. According to the December indictment, Brunson and a second defendant, Simon Paul, killed about 3,600 birds, including eagles, on the flathead reservation and elsewhere.
Federal authorities have not said how most of these birds were killed or where the killings took place, and the issue was not discussed at Wednesday’s hearing.
Prosecutors said Branson, of Cusick, Washington, sold a pair of golden eagle tail feathers, prized among many Native American tribes, for $650 in March 2021 to an unidentified buyer. did.
Less than two weeks later, law enforcement stopped him on the reservation and found in his car the legs and wings of a golden eagle he had shot near Polson, Montana. It also included a photo of a golden eagle, according to court filings. A leg severed by a giant claw. The dead bird was “scavenged” by the second defendant, Paul, and found in a nearby field, prosecutors wrote.
Prosecutors said multiple cellphones seized by authorities during the traffic stop contained photos and text messages documenting “the shooting, killing, and eventual sale of bald and golden eagles across the United States.”
Under questioning from Judge Kathleen DeSoto, Brunson admitted that he had “conspired to capture and sell migratory birds,” which is illegal under federal law. He also said he grew up with his co-defendant and is from the Polson area.
DeSoto was scheduled to be sentenced on July 31 before U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen.
Above, obtained from the Montana District Attorney, was recovered from the car of Travis John Brunson, who was charged with killing thousands of birds on an American Indian reservation on March 20, 2024. It shows a set of golden eagle legs. (Via Associated Press, courtesy of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)
Brunson was not taken into custody pending sentencing and did not comment publicly after the hearing. His lawyer, Assistant Secretary of Defense Andrew Nelson, declined to comment.
The plea agreement also requires Brunson to pay restitution. No amount has been determined, but tribal officials hope some of the money will go to the Flathead Reservation, home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
“We hope to get some of that money back because our resources have been damaged,” said Rich Jansen, the tribe’s natural resources director. “And frankly, it was our supervisors who did a lot of the things that led to this case being taken to federal agencies and ultimately resulting in the indictment.”
Paul, of St. Ignatius, Montana, remains at large. A federal judge issued a warrant for Paul’s arrest in December for his failure to appear at his first court hearing.
According to the indictment, Branson and Paul trafficked golden eagles, bald eagles, or parts thereof on at least 11 occasions between December 2020 and the time Branson was stopped by law enforcement on March 13, 2021. It is said that he was doing so.
Court filings suggest the illegal activity continued for much longer. They outline a conspiracy that began in 2015 and also involved other people who killed the eagle on the flathead reservation but have not been publicly identified.
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In 2016 text messages cited by prosecutors, Brunson appeared to acknowledge that international shipping of eagles was illegal, saying, “I’m just getting eagles for 99 cents for the price of a bullet.” added.
According to court filings, in another text message exchange, while negotiating the sale of the eagle feathers, Brunson said, “I won’t get it for free, but…I don’t want to hear that you’re committing a felony.” “No,” he is said to have written.
The most serious charge, conspiracy, could carry up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Under the plea agreement, attorneys with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana said they would seek the dismissal of additional human trafficking charges and recommend lower sentencing guidelines that could reduce the severity of Brunson’s punishment.
The criminal case comes nearly a decade after the start of a multi-state U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service trafficking investigation known as Operation Dakota Flyer. The investigation led to indictments against 35 defendants and the recovery of more than 150 eagles, 100 hawks, and owls. Federal officials said 20 other protected bird species were seized or secretly purchased by authorities.
Federally recognized tribes may apply to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for permission to take bald and golden eagles for religious purposes, and members of registered tribes may apply to the National Eagle Refuge in Colorado and the National Eagle Refuge in Colorado. You can apply for feathers and other bird parts from government archives. Oklahoma and Phoenix. The national repository has a years-long backlog of requests, and researchers say the high demand is fueling a black market for eagle parts.
