A Washington man accused of helping kill thousands of birds pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday to shooting eagles on an American Indian reservation in Montana and selling their feathers and body parts on the black market.Travis John Branson pleaded guilty to conspiracy, wildlife trafficking and two counts of trafficking federally protected bald and golden eagles, under a plea deal reached last month with government attorneys.
The plea deal also calls for Branson to pay restitution for damages. An amount has not been set but tribal officials hope some of that money comes to the Flathead reservation, home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes."My hope is that we can see some of those monies because our resources were damaged," said Rich Janssen, Natural Resources Department Head for the tribes.