Accused poachers ‘on a spree’ killed thousands of birds, sold body parts on black market: indictment

Two men have been charged with killing thousands of birds including Golden and Bald eagles and selling their body parts on the “black market” — as one of the suspects bragged he was “on a killing spree,” court papers allege.

Simon Paul and Travis John Branson were accused in a Montana federal indictment last week of killing some 3,600 birds including federally protected Golden and Bald Eagles, the latter of which is the US national symbol.

Branson boasted in messages that he was “[O]ut [here] committing felonies” and he told buyers of the fowl 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 across the United States and elsewhere,” the filing claims.

The poaching duo allegedly carried out the lucrative scheme from January 2015 through March 2021, selling wings and tails of the regal animals they killed near Ronan, Montana on the outskirts of the Flathead Indian Reservation, the filing claims.

The pair raked in more than $350 a pop on the winged apex predators, the court papers say.

From April 30, 2020, through March 13, 2021, the men sold or offered to sell the parts or whole birds of two Bald Eagles and 11 Golden eagles, according to the indictment, first reported by the Messenger.

Branson would travel from Washington to the Reservation “to shoot” the birds and Paul — who lived near Ronan — was the “shooter” and “shipper,” the court papers allege.

In one instance on March 13, 2021, the two men “returned to a previously killed deer to lure in eagles,” and Branson shot a Golden which Paul cleaned, before transporting its parts away, the indictment claims.

They are both charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of trafficking wildlife. Branson is charged with eight counts of unlawful 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 on all charges while Paul faces 15 years imprisonment if convicted on all charges.

They are scheduled to be arraigned in court on Jan. 8.

It was not immediately clear who their criminal defense attorneys were and phone numbers could not be found for the men.