John Patrick Butler, 71, was sentenced May 5 to five years of probation and ordered to pay $77,500 in restitution after pleading guilty to conspiracy, unlawful trafficking of bald and golden eagles and purchasing illegally killed eagle parts in violation of the Lacey Act, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana.
Federal investigators said Butler was one of the buyers fueling a yearslong wildlife trafficking operation tied to the killing of thousands of birds, including bald and golden eagles, on and around Montana’s Flathead Indian Reservation.
Court documents allege co-defendant Travis John Branson and others openly discussed illegally killing eagles in text messages, at one point describing themselves as “out [here] committing felonies” and saying they were on a “killing spree” to obtain eagle tail feathers for future sales.
Authorities said Butler repeatedly bought eagle tails and feather sets from Branson between late 2020 and early 2021, sending hundreds of dollars through PayPal for the parts, which were then mailed from Montana to his home in Humble.
“Killing our national symbol to sell on the black market? Not on our watch,” the agency wrote.
“This wasn’t an accidental poaching incident. This was part of an organized, profit-driven wildlife crime carried out over years by multiple conspirators.”
The case comes as another Houston-area man recently admitted to illegally shooting a bald eagle.
Federal prosecutors announced Thursday that 42-year-old Porter resident Santos Guerrero pleaded guilty to shooting a bald eagle at his home in October 2024.
Authorities said investigators reviewed video footage showing the eagle falling from a tree after being shot. The bird was found alive and transported to an animal hospital, but was later euthanized because of its injuries.
A necropsy found the gunshot caused severe wing damage, while the fall caused internal bleeding, liver fractures and a broken leg.
Guerrero faces up to a year in federal prison and a $100,000 fine at sentencing scheduled for July 30.
Although bald eagles were removed from the endangered species list in 2007, they remain protected under federal laws, including the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which prohibit killing, selling, possessing or disturbing the birds, along with their nests, eggs and feathers, without a permit.