(Missoula) A Washington man who conspired to hunt and kill bald and golden eagles and hawks on the Flathead Indian Reservation to sell on the black market was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay nearly 800 thousand dollars of restitution.
The defendant, 49-year-old Travis John Branson, of Cusick, Washington, and formerly of the Flathead Reservation, pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy, two counts of unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles and violation of the Lacey Act.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
