Bird-Smuggling Brandon Man Sentenced to Probation

Tampa, Florida – A Brandon man has been sentenced to 18 months’ probation for his role in a statewide operation to catch and sell protected migratory birds.

Ernesto Gonzalez Campos, 36, of Brandon, was found guilty by a federal jury on November 30, 2023, and was sentenced to 18 months’ probation, including a $1,000 fine and 50 hours of community service, by U.S. District Judge Charlene Honeywell.

Campos was the latest individual to be sentenced in ‘Operation Ornery Birds II,’ a Florida-wide investigation conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Campos engaged in the ongoing capture, sale, and trade of protected migratory songbirds, including indigo buntings, painted buntings, rose-breasted grosbeaks, and blue grosbeaks, all of which are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA).

Campos trapped the birds from the wild and, once they were tamed, sold them within the songbird community on at least three occasions in 2020 and 2021.

The case was investigated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa Spergel and Senior Trial Attorney Patrick Duggan of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section.

The sentencing marks the latest in a string of convictions related to Operation Ornery Birds II, with five other individuals previously sentenced in the Middle District of Florida.

Wildlife experts warn that the black market trade in protected birds can lead to the decline of species and even extinctions, as well as put the safety of those involved in the trade at risk.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) is a federal law that protects over 800 species of birds that migrate across international borders, and those found guilty of violating the law can face significant fines and prison time.