Arrest warrant issued for Montana man accused of killing thousands of birds, including eagles

Source: Associated Press

Arrest warrant issued for Montana man accused of killing thousands of birds, including eagles

BY MATTHEW BROWN
Updated 7:05 PM EST, January 8, 2024

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A federal judge issued an arrest warrant Monday for a Montana man who failed to show up for an initial court appearance on charges of killing thousands of birds, including bald and golden eagles. A second defendant pleaded not guilty.

The two men, working with others, killed about 3,600 birds on Montana’s Flathead Indian Reservation and elsewhere over a six-year period beginning in 2015, according to a grand jury indictment unsealed last month. The defendants also were accused of selling eagle parts on a black market that has been a long-running problem for U.S. wildlife officials.

Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto issued a warrant for Simon Paul, 42, of St. Ignatius, Montana, after he failed to appear at his scheduled arraignment Monday in U.S. District Court in Missoula.

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The two defendants are charged with a combined 13 counts of unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles and one count each of conspiracy and violating wildlife trafficking laws.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/eagles-killed-indictment-black-market-b09d23ff49f338c9415240bd933642a0