In the report, the federal probation officer put a $10,000 price tag on the eagle and $1,750 on the hawk.

Those figures aren’t used only to set restitution; costlier crimes can lead to stiffer sentences.

Bertucci’s lawyer, Rich McWilliams, argued the values were too high. When his client was convicted of possessing eagle parts five years ago -- allegedly to sell the feathers for headdresses -- the court set the value at $2,000. And when Bertucci’s brother was convicted of killing eagles a year later, the court set the value at $2,000.

That figure is well-established and listed in a schedule of plant and wildlife values approved by federal judges in Nebraska in 1996, he wrote in his objection.

For this case, though, the probation officer relied on Virginia wildlife expert Ed Clark to set the $10,000 figure. In an interview last month, Clark said he takes an objective approach to appraising the value of an animal and what it would cost to return a replacement to the wild.

U.S. District Court Judge Lyle E. Strom agreed with Clark and the probation officer’s calculations, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. But the judge considered Bertucci’s finances, and knocked $5,000 off the restitution bill for the eagle and $250 for the hawk.

Strom also ordered Bertucci to serve a year of supervised release.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7254 or psalter@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSPeterSalter.

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