Two men have been accused of killing thousands of birds, including golden and bald eagles, and selling their body parts on the “black market,” while one of the suspects bragged about being “on a killing spree,” documents allege. judicial.
Simon Paul and Travis John Branson were accused in a Montana federal indictment last week of killing about 3,600 birds, including federally protected golden and bald eagles, the latter the national symbol of the United States.
Branson boasted in messages that he was “[O]Utah [here] committing serious crimes” and told buyers of the birds that he was “on a killing spree,” according to the indictment.
Paul and Branson “illegally sold the eagles on the black market for significant sums of cash throughout the United States and elsewhere,” the document states.
The poaching duo allegedly carried out the lucrative scheme from January 2015 to March 2021, selling wings and tails from the majestic animals they killed near Ronan, Montana, outside the Flathead Indian Reservation, the filing states.
Simon Paul and Travis John Branson are accused of illegally killing golden and bald eagles and then selling them on the black market. Universal Images Group via Getty Images The duo allegedly killed 3,600 birds, including golden and bald eagles, between 2015 and 2021. MediaNews Group via Getty Images
The pair raised more than $350 each from the winged predators, according to court documents.
From April 30, 2020, to March 13, 2021, the men sold or offered to sell parts or whole birds of two bald eagles and 11 golden eagles, according to the indictment, first reported by the Messenger.
Branson was traveling from Washington to the Reservation “to shoot” the birds and Paul, who lived near Ronan, was the “shooter” and “transporter,” court documents allege.
The men poached the winged predators outside the Flathead Reservation in Montana. fake images
In one case, on March 13, 2021, the two men “returned to a previously killed deer to attract eagles,” and Branson shot a Golden that Paul cleaned, before transporting its parts, the indictment states.
Both are charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of wildlife trafficking. Branson is charged with eight counts of illegal trafficking of bald and golden eagles and Paul is charged with five counts of the same crime.
Branson faces up to 18 years behind bars if convicted of all charges, while Paul faces 15 years in prison if convicted of all charges.
The couple will be arraigned in federal court in Montana on January 8. AP
They are scheduled to be arraigned in court on January 8.
It was not immediately clear who their criminal defense attorneys were and the men’s phone numbers could not be found.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn