Seller of black market eagle feathers sentenced

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – An Albuquerque man who sold black market eagle feathers for use in Native American dance competitions has been sentenced in Portland.

U.S. District Judge Anna Brown on Thursday sentenced 34-year-old Reginald Dale Akeen to 30 days house arrest, 250 hours of community service and to pay $4,800 in restitution to a conservation fund. Akeen pleaded guilty in December to violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Prosecutors say he brokered the sale of nine golden eagle feathers through an intermediary on Oregon’s Warm Springs Reservation.

Enrolled members of federally recognized tribes can obtain permits to possess eagle parts for religious purposes, but federal law prohibits the sale of bald and golden eagles or their parts.