(MISSOULA) – A Texas man who trafficked bald and golden eagles was sentenced Tuesday to five years of probation and restitution in the amount of $77,500.00, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.
John Patrick Butler, 71, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to one count of conspiracy, two counts of unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles, and one count of purchasing eagles and eagle parts that had been killed illegally, in violation of the Lacey Act.
Co-defendant Simon Paul, Branson, and others, hunted and killed eagles on the Flathead Indian Reservation and elsewhere. In total, approximately 3,600 birds were killed, including eagles. They then illegally sold the eagles on the black market for significant sums of cash across the United States and elsewhere
