Washington State Man Hit with Fines & Federal Prison Time in Illegal Eagle “Killing Sprees”

A Washington State man has had his day in court and it went as well as any of us would expect, given the incredible allegations against him. 

According to court documents, 49-year-old Travis John Branson of Cusick, Washington, along with his accomplice (who remains a fugitive), Simon Paul, are tied to the killing of 118 eagles and 107 hawks between the years of 2009 and 2021 all while raking in upwards of $360,000 in illegal money.

According to reports, Branson would travel from Washington to the Flathead Reservation, where he would meet Paul and shoot, transport and ship both golden and bald eagles on the black market. The pair would lure in eagles and other large birds of prey using dead deer carcasses and would target young golden eagles for their highly sought after white and black wing feathers.

“Branson went on self-described ‘killing sprees’ for thousands of eagles and hawks, butchered them, and sold the parts and feathers for profit on the black market. He knew he was committing felonies and even joked his cost to kill them was the price of a bullet,” U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. “But his conduct was no laughing matter. With today’s sentence, the cost to Branson was more than a bunch of bullets—he forfeited the very freedom the bald eagle symbolizes.”

Originally pleading guilty to conspiracy, two counts of unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles and a violation of the Lacey Act back in March, Branson has since been slapped with a three-year and 10-month sentence in a federal penitentiary, followed by three years of supervised release.  And if that wasn’t enough, Judge Dana L. Christensen of the U.S. District of Montana ordered him to pay $777,250 in restitution for the senseless killings.

The harsh sentence is the result of the federal government’s no-nonsense approach to cracking down on eagle poaching rings set up for the exploitation of eagle feathers. Most of which are used in traditional Native American Ceremonies, these feathers remain in high demand as government programs that distribute feathers for free are facing immense backlogs.

“The unlawful killing of these majestic birds violates federal law and is a profound offense against our nation's cherished natural heritage,” said Edward Grace, Assistant Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. “Travis Branson's blatant disregard for the law and the sanctity of these protected species highlights the urgent need for stringent enforcement and greater public awareness regarding wildlife trafficking.”