Thomas Kapusta Sentenced for Killing Protected Hawks in Stamford

Thomas Kapusta, 63, of Westbury, N.Y., has been sentenced to one year of probation for a brutal campaign of capturing and killing federally protected red-tailed and Cooper’s hawks in Stamford, Connecticut. U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny handed down the sentence in Hartford, also slapping Kapusta with a $5,500 fine and ordering 90 hours of community service at a local animal shelter—a bitter irony given the nature of his crimes.

The red-tailed and Cooper’s hawks—raptors protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act—were seen by Kapusta and co-conspirator Adam Boguski as threats to their racing pigeons. The two men maintained a pigeon coop at 330 Weed Avenue in Stamford, where they regularly released large numbers of birds for flight. But instead of coexisting, Kapusta and Boguski opted for extermination, setting up a trap designed specifically to ensnare birds of prey.

Once captured, the hawks didn’t stand a chance. Kapusta admitted in court to shooting the trapped birds and dumping their carcasses. He personally killed red-tailed hawks on September 8 and October 14, 2015, and Cooper’s hawks on September 2 and October 21, 2015. To cover his tracks, Kapusta instructed Boguski to refer to the deadly trap as a “breeding cage” if questioned by authorities—an admission that sealed his guilt.

Kapusta pleaded guilty on February 17, 2016, to one count of conspiracy and four counts of taking, capturing, and killing protected hawks. Boguski, of Stamford, followed suit on August 8, 2016, pleading guilty to conspiracy and two counts of killing Cooper’s hawks—specifically on September 27 and October 17, 2015. Boguski now awaits sentencing, his fate hanging in the balance.

Judge Chatigny imposed strict conditions on Kapusta’s probation, including random inspections of the Stamford pigeon coop by federal and state environmental law enforcement. The move is designed to prevent a repeat of the bloodshed and ensure accountability in a case that exposed a dark corner of the underground pigeon racing world.

The investigation was led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement and Division of Refuge Law Enforcement, with support from Connecticut’s Environmental Conservation Police and the Stamford Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen prosecuted the case, underscoring the federal government’s willingness to crack down on wildlife crimes—even when they unfold in suburban backyards.