This image provided by the US Attorney for the District of Montana from a court document shows golden eagle feet that law enforcement officers recovered from the vehicle of a Washington state man charged with federal wildlife trafficking violations. The defendant is scheduled to plead guilty on March 20, 2024 in Missoula, Mont. in what prosecutors say was an illegal scheme to shoot eagles and sell their parts on the black market. (Courtesy of the US Attorney for the District…
March 21, 2024
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March 21, 2024 11:05 a.m.
Man pleads guilty in eagle ‘killing spree’ on reservation to sell feathers on black market
Branson, of Cusick, Washington, sold an unidentified purchaser two sets of golden eagle tail feathers — highly prized among many Native American tribes — for $650 in March 2021, according to prosecutors.