Man sentenced for selling golden eagle feathers

YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — A man has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for trying to arrange the illegal sale of golden eagle feathers.

The Yakima Herald-Republic reports 25-year-old Benjamin Blue Arquette was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Yakima on Monday. He pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of commercializing in eagles, a violation of the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

Arquette’s plea agreement acknowledged that he had sold two tail feather sets for $1,200 to an undercover officer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Arquette said he acquired the eagles in March 2013 while hunting.

Tribal members such as Arquette can possess eagle feathers, but they are prohibited from selling them under federal law.