Wildlife trafficking ring killed at least 118 eagles, prosecutors say

Associated Press

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Prosecutors say a Washington state man helped kill at least 118 eagles to sell their feathers and body parts on the black market. Travis John Branson is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 18 in federal court in Montana for his role in the years-long trafficking operation in the western United States. Feathers and other parts of eagles are illegal to sell but widely used by Native Americans in ceremonies. Branson faces years in prison at sentencing. His attorney is asking for him to be spared prison and instead be sentenced to probation. A second defendant remains at large.