United States v. Mayhem Services, LLC, et al.

On July 21, 2025, Branden Trager and Mayhem Services, LLC, pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging them with a Lacey Act misdemeanor (16 U.S.C. §§ 3372(a)(2)(A), 3373(d)(2)). Sentencing is scheduled for October 16, 2025.

Trager owns Mayhem Services and runs hunting and fishing guided trips in the Pacific Northwest. Trager organizes hunts specifically targeting the harlequin duck, a rare sea bird prized by hunters. Washington State closed harlequin duck hunting season from 2022 to 2024, so Trager took three hunting parties to British Columbia, Canada, where it was still legal to hunt them. However, Canadian law prohibits non-citizens from obtaining guiding licenses. Trager conspired with a Canadian taxidermist to illegally shoot the harlequin and then export the mounts back to the United States.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted the investigation, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and British Columbia Conservation Officer Service.