Edward Taylor, Migratory Bird Poaching, Wisconsin 2020

MADISON, WI - In a shocking case of wildlife poaching, Edward Taylor, a 64-year-old man from Fruitport, Michigan, has been sentenced for his role in a conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act.

Taylor pleaded guilty on December 11, 2019, to arranging with his co-conspirator James Kitzman to barter a northern goshawk taken from the wild in Vilas County, Wisconsin, in exchange for a captive-bred Finnish goshawk. The illegal trade was part of the conspiracy that covered up the receipt and transport of the northern goshawk from Wisconsin to Michigan, in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) and the Lacey Act.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act prohibits the sale or barter of northern goshawks, as they are protected migratory birds. Kitzman took a female northern goshawk from a nest located on state land in Vilas County on May 26, 2017. He traded the bird for a Finnish goshawk from Taylor and filled out false reports with the Michigan and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources to cover up their actions.

At today's sentencing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen L. Crocker emphasized that the Lacey Act and Wisconsin state statutes are in place to ensure the appropriate stewardship of natural resources. He noted that a message needs to be sent to the falconry and raptor propagator communities: 'If you don't follow the rules, you will be prosecuted.'

Taylor was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine payable to the Lacey Act Reward Fund, in care of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He paid the fine immediately. Magistrate Judge Crocker also ordered Taylor to transfer the illegally-taken northern goshawk to the government, which will be taken to a wildlife rehabilitator for its eventual release back into the wild.

Kitzman's sentencing is set for March 2, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. The charges against Taylor and Kitzman were the result of an investigation conducted by law enforcement agents with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Law Enforcement, and Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Graber handled the prosecution of this case. The outcome of Taylor's sentencing sends a clear message that wildlife poaching will not be tolerated and those who engage in such activities will face severe consequences.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwi/pr/michigan-falconer-sentenced-bartering-migratory-bird-taken-wild