BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A Washington state man who authorities say killed at least 118 eagles as part of a wildlife trafficking ring that operated on a Native American reservation in Montana was sentenced Thursday to three years. and 10 months in prison and must pay more than $777,000 in compensation. restitution.

The trafficking network for more than a decade sold eagle feathers and parts in a black market that exploits high demand among tribal members who use them in powwows and other ceremonies. The defendant and others killed at least 107 falcons and up to 3,600 birds in total, prosecutors said.

The poaching operation focused on the Flathead Indian Reservation in northwest Montana, which researchers say has some of the highest concentrations of eagles and other birds of prey in the US.

Travis John Branson of Cusick, Washington, pleaded guilty in March on charges of conspiracy and wildlife trafficking.

Before being sentenced, Branson apologized to the court and his family.

“It’s my fault,” he said. “I know what I did was wrong.”

He declined to comment further after the hearing.

A second person has been charged in the case and prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office have said other people were also involved.

Prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen in Missoula to impose a “significant” prison sentence and order Branson to pay restitution of $5,000 for each eagle killed and $1,750 for each hawk.

Branson faced up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge. But his public defender asked for a sentence of probation and claimed that prosecutors exaggerated the number of birds euthanized.

Federal Defender Andrew Nelson also questioned the restitution amount, saying it was too high for the eagles and that the hawks should not be counted.

Branson had no criminal record, according to Nelson. Because of the criminal charges, he lost his job as a maintenance supervisor for the Kalispell Tribe in Washington, Nelson said, and the defendant suffered a stroke in April.

The criminal case highlights the persistence of a thriving illegal trade in eagle feathers despite law enforcement efforts over the past decade that generated dozens of criminal indictments across the Western and Midwestern United States.

Bald eagles, once greatly endangered by the pesticide DDT, have recovered in recent decades and are now abundant. The recovery of the golden eagle has been dimmer and researchers have warned that the population is on the brink of decline due to shootings, poisoningselectrocutions on power lines, collisions with wind turbines and other threats.

It is illegal to buy or sell eagle feathers or other parts. The government has tried to offset the strong demand for feathers among Native Americans by providing them free of charge from a government warehouse. But they can’t keep up with demand and the repository is years behind schedule.

Branson earned between $180,000 and $360,000 between 2009 and 2021 illegally selling bald and golden eagle pieces, according to court records.

Court documents quote Branson saying in a January 2021 text that he was going on a “massacre” to obtain eagle tails.

“It was not uncommon for Branson to capture more than nine eagles at a time,” prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Montana wrote in a court filing. “Branson not only killed eagles, he cut them into pieces to sell for future profits.”

The second defendant, Simon Paul, of St. Ignatius, Montana, remains free. A federal judge issued an arrest warrant for Paul in December after he failed to appear for an initial court hearing. Court documents suggest he fled to Canada.

Federally recognized tribes may apply to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for permits to take a bald or golden eagle for religious purposes. Enrolled tribal members can request feathers and other bird parts from the National Eagle Repository in Colorado and non-governmental repositories in Oklahoma and Arizona.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.