A Neola man has been convicted of illegally possessing five golden eagle feathers.
Raymond Hardman, 46, did not have a federal permit authorizing him to have the feathers but claimed his religious practices exempted him from compliance with federal law.Hardman was cited by Ute Tribal Fish and Wildlife officer Cleveland Murray, who observed the feathers hanging from the rearview mirror of Hardman's vehicle while Hardman was on the Uintah and Ouray Ute Indian Reservation, 100 miles east of Salt Lake City. Neola is a few miles outside the reservation.
U.S. Magistrate Judge David Nuffer last week found Hardman guilty of violating the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Hardman faces up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine when he is sentenced April 8.
Killing, possessing or selling feathers or parts from bald or golden eagles has been illegal since 1940, unless the owner obtains a federal permit.
Museums, zoos, eagle rehabilitation centers, researchers or American Indians can apply for the permits. Although rarely issued, permits also are available to kill bald or golden eagles that are preying on other wildlife or on ranchers' sheep.
Since the 1970s, eagles killed illegally or found dead from natural causes have been sent to the National Eagle Repository in Denver by wildlife officials. The repository moved from Oregon to Colorado in 1995.