A Texas man is facing felony federal charges for allegedly purchasing illegally obtained eagle feathers and eagle parts from two men who poached over 3,600 birds, including eagles, in Montana between 2015 and 2021.

John Patrick Butler of Humble, Texas, was identified as a buyer in a federal investigation that uncovered a years-long mass killing of eagles and a system of trafficking their body parts across multiple states.

Federal prosecutors filed an indictment against Butler and another defendant, Simon Paul, in U.S. District Court last month.

"The killing of eagles is fueled, in whole and in part, because purchasers will buy the eagles on the black market," the indictment reads. "John Patrick Butler was one of those purchasers, and he requested the killing of specific types of eagles.

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