Source: Office of United States Attorneys
PIERRE – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Volga, South Dakota, man convicted of a violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The sentencing took place on January 13, 2025.
Joe Hofer, age 52, was sentenced to one year of federal probation, a $1,200 fine, and ordered to pay a $25 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Hofer was indicted for a violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act by a federal grand jury in July 2024. He pleaded guilty on October 4, 2024.
Hofer is the Farm Boss for the Cambridge Hutterian Brethren (CHB) in Lake County, South Dakota. In November 2023, Hofer used CHB farm equipment to take down tress on property owned by CHB. One of the trees Hofer took down contained an active eagle nest, destroying the nest. Hofer did not have a permit to take down the eagle’s nest which is protected under federal law.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.