Washington man admits killing eagles on Flathead Reservation to sell on black market
A eagle flies above the Kootenai River on June 12. (Will Langhorne/The Western News)
A Washington man admitted on Wednesday to conspiring to hunt and kill bald and golden eagles on the Flathead Indian Reservation and then selling them on the black market across the United States and elsewhere, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Travis John Branson, 48, of Cusick, Washington, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, two counts of unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles and violation of the Lacey Act, which prohibits interstate trade in wildlife that has been taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of federal or state law.
The Lacey Act also prohibits any person from making or submitting any false record, account, label for or identification of wildlife that has been or was intended to be transported in interstate or foreign commerce.
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