Man who killed eagles and trafficked their parts faces sentencing Thursday

Associated Press

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A Washington state man who pleaded guilty to killing eagles on a Native American reservation in Montana is facing sentencing Thursday. Federal prosecutors said Travis John Branson was part of a trafficking ring that killed at least 118 eagles on and around the Flathead Indian Reservation. The birds’ parts were sold on the black market. An indictment said up to 3,600 birds overall were killed. Feathers and other bird parts are widely used by Native Americans in ceremonies and during powwows. Branson pleaded guilty in March to charges of conspiracy and wildlife trafficking. He could face up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge.