Man who killed eagles, sold feathers and sentenced to nearly $800,000 in prison. • Daily Montanan

In March, Branson pleaded guilty to conspiracy, two counts of illegal trafficking in bald and golden eagles and violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits the interstate sale of poached wildlife. He will report himself to prison and will be on supervised release for three years following his sentence.

In handing down the sentence, Federal Judge Dana Christensen said he was “deeply concerned” about Branson's criminal conduct, which resulted in the deaths of golden and bald eagles, young birds and hawks.

“I think if you hadn’t gotten caught, you would still be doing it today,” Christensen said.

The judge said the crimes were calculated. Branson knew he was violating federal law, as his text messages showed, and yet he continued to bait, set up blinds, instruct others and shoot birds, Christensen said.

The judge said Branson did this for the money: “You acted out of greed time and time again.”

According to government estimates, Branson earned between $180,000 and $360,000 from 2009 to 2021 by selling eagle feathers and parts for profit on the black market.

The restitution amount ordered by the judge is $5,000 for each of the 118 eagles killed and $1,750 for each of the 107 hawks killed. That's the number of birds the U.S. government says Branson killed between 2015 and 2021, the six-year period for which he was charged.

(Determining market value for black market birds is difficult, the judge said. A 2017 study estimated essentially double the amounts awarded in the judgment, but the amounts ordered are consistent with an affidavit filed in another federal case used and the values ​​sought by the government.)

However, an alleged conspirator estimated that Branson's crew killed 300 to 400 birds a year and had been doing so for at least 12 years, according to the special agent's testimony – leading to an indictment that estimated about 3,600 birds were killed.

On the witness stand, Special Agent Mona Iannelli said Branson was the coordinator of the killings and sales. She said others who worked with him would send Branson pictures and he would communicate with buyers.

In some cases, she said, Branson would ask her for help finding other buyers, and in other cases he would alert her to more impending kills — “we'll be working hard in the next few days,” he said in a text which she read.

She said the crew is particularly interested in immature golden eagles, whose feathers are black and white and are “highly sought after” by many buyers.

In one case, she explained a security camera photo of Branson sitting in the passenger seat of a truck with a gun pointed forward. She said the clarity of the image showed Branson was slowly heading toward a nearby bait site.

She said after eagles eat a carcass or eat too much, they often perch because they are full, and she believes Branson was waiting to shoot an eagle that was eating and then perched on a large, stunted tree would rest nearby.

Iannelli, who explained to the court the process investigators used to trace the 118 eagles and 107 hawks directly to Branson, also said those numbers appear to represent only a fraction of the actual killings that have occurred in and outside Montana: “I “I believe this is the case” is just a glimpse into the killing that occurred.”

After the verdict, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said that eagles are not only birds of biological interest, but also a national symbol of freedom and bondage, and that laws have been enacted to protect bald and golden eagles.

“Travis Branson and others ignored these laws and hunted and slaughtered thousands of eagles on the Flathead Indian Reservation for over 30 years and then sold them on the black market in the United States and elsewhere,” Laslovich said.

Even after he knew authorities were after him, Branson continued to kill and “butcher” the birds to sell their feathers, he said.

Laslovich said Branson was brazen in the conspiracy, which was uncovered through cooperation between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Fish and Game Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Montana .

But Laslovich said the most offensive thing to him about this case was “how tone-deaf (Branson) was when he killed these protected species.”

“He thought it was funny, but he doesn’t laugh today and neither do we,” Laslovich said. “He was enthusiastic, even giddy, about killing these protective groups, which makes his behavior all the more ruthless and grotesque.”

Laslovich said many people came together to revive the bald eagle when it was in danger of extinction, culminating in the passage of the Bald and Golden Eagle Conservation Act, and he said he was proud to contribute to that success story.

However, Laslovich also said the case cannot bring back the birds Branson killed.

“But we can and will hold those who do this accountable, just as we did with Mr. Branson today,” Laslovich said.

The co-defendant in the Simon Paul case was also charged with the conspiracy. The government said he remained a refugee.

In a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, CSKT Chairman Mike Dolson said the Flathead Indian Reservation will feel the impact of the loss of the raptors Branson has been killing for years.

“We hope this will help put an end to illegal poaching in our homelands and give these birds a chance to recover,” Dolson said. “Eagles are not only a valued and important part of the reserve’s ecosystem, but they also hold an integral place in the cultural and spiritual practices of the CSKT.”