2 Yakima County men sentenced for killing eagles, trying to sell feathers



YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — A 21-year-old Yakima County man has been sentenced to three months in prison for illegally killing an eagle and offering feathers for sale.

The Yakima Herald-Republic reports (http://is.gd/F0ezDb ) that Willard Maldonado of Union Gap was also sentenced to six months of home confinement in federal court in Yakima on Wednesday.

He pleaded guilty in April to six criminal charges, including illegally killing bald and golden eagles and selling their feathers.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says another man who hunted with Maldonado was sentenced to 30 days of home confinement. Arthur Phillips of Granger pleaded guilty earlier this year to killing an eagle in January 2014.

It is illegal to sell or offer to sell eagle feathers.

Members of federally recognized Indian tribes are allowed to possess eagle feathers for non-commercial purposes, but must obtain them from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's repository.