Montana man sentenced for gun violations associated to unlawful eagle killing

• Harvey Hugs, a Montana felon, has been sentenced to a few years in federal jail by U.S. District Decide Susan Watters in Billings.
• Hugs pleaded responsible to being a felon in possession of firearms in September and was sentenced for associated gun violations.
• Prosecutors say that Hugs used the weapons to shoot federally protected eagles over greater than a yr and offered the birds’ elements for revenue.

A Montana felon beforehand convicted of killing eagles to promote their elements on the black market was sentenced to a few years in federal jail on Wednesday for associated gun violations.

U.S. District Decide Susan Watters in Billings sentenced Harvey Hugs, 60, after he pleaded responsible in September to being a felon in possession of firearms. Prosecutors stated the Hardin, Montana, man used the weapons to shoot federally protected eagles over greater than a yr after which offered the birds’ elements to an informant for revenue.

A 2021 search of Hugs’ dwelling and automobiles discovered eagle elements, two rifles and ammunition, based on court documents. Investigators recovered elements of 21 totally different eagles, the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace stated.

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“While it is unknown how many eagles Hugs took by shooting or trapping, the location, type, and amount of evidence reflect his criminal enterprise was expansive and protracted,” prosecutors wrote in recommending a jail sentence.

An grownup golden eagle circles overhead in a distant space of Field Elder County, Utah, on Might 20, 2021. Harvey Hugs, a Montana felon beforehand convicted of killing eagles to promote their elements on the black market, was sentenced to a few years in federal jail on Jan. 24, 2024, for associated gun violations. (Spenser Heaps/The Deseret Information through AP, File)

Hugs was sentenced final June in Speedy Metropolis, South Dakota, to a few years in federal jail after being convicted by a jury for trafficking golden eagle feathers, wings and tails in violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Safety Act.

The 2 sentences shall be served concurrently, based on courtroom paperwork. Hugs public defender within the Montana case, lawyer Edward Werner, didn’t instantly reply to phone and e mail messages searching for remark.

Hugs has an in depth prison report together with convictions for involuntary manslaughter, obstruction of police and criminal trespassing. In 2012, he was sentenced in federal courtroom in Montana to 6 months in custody for coordinating the unlawful buy of eagle feathers, tails and wings and two hawk tails, courtroom paperwork present.

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His newest jail sentence comes weeks after two males have been indicted in Montana over one other alleged eagle-killing scheme that authorities stated resulted within the deaths about 3,600 birds, together with golden and bald eagles on and across the Flathead Indian Reservation.

One of many defendants in that case, Simon Paul, is being sought by authorities after he failed to point out up for a January 8 preliminary courtroom look, prompting a decide to problem an arrest warrant.

It’s unlawful to own, use, or promote eagles or their elements within the U.S., although there are exceptions for cultural establishments and Native People utilizing them in non secular ceremonies. Federal officers function a clearinghouse that makes eagle feathers and different elements accessible to tribal members, approved zoos and museums.