Two individuals, Simon Paul and Travis John Branson, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Montana for allegedly illegally killing 3,600 birds, including bald and golden eagles, on the Flathead Indian Reservation. The charges include conspiracy, unlawful trafficking of eagles, and violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits trafficking in unlawfully taken wildlife.
According to the indictment, Branson was implicated through messages in which he boasted about killing eagles, claiming to be “on a killing spree” for eagle feathers and admitting to committing felonies. The alleged conspiracy between Paul and Branson to hunt and traffic the birds is said to have taken place between January 2015 and March 2021, centered near Ronan.