A 55-year-old man was sentenced to nearly 4 years in federal jail Wednesday after he pleaded responsible to killing bald and golden eagles with out authorization.
Based on courtroom paperwork, the person will even be required to forfeit the eagle carcasses and all eagle components discovered at his prior residence on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in northeastern Utah.
In 2018, a grand jury had charged the 55-year-old with 10 counts of unauthorized taking of an eagle, plus one depend of firearm possession as a felon.
When the person pleaded responsible to the gun cost and two of the eagle prices earlier this 12 months, he additionally agreed to forfeit a rifle, ammunition and different gadgets.
On Wednesday, eight of the fees relating to eagles have been dismissed, based on minutes taken through the sentencing listening to on the federal courthouse in downtown Salt Lake Metropolis.
It’s unclear whether or not the person is an enrolled member of the Ute Indian Tribe, with many members residing on the sovereign Uintah and Ouray Reservation.
Though the bald eagle was faraway from the listing of threatened and endangered species in 2007, the chook is protected by the Migratory Fowl Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Safety Act, based on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Each legal guidelines prohibit killing, promoting or harming eagles, their nests, or eggs.