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Georgia Cattle Company, Owner and Farm Manager Sentenced for Causing Bird Kill

Release Date: 04/08/2005
Contact Information:

Contact: Stacie Findon-Keller, 202-564-4355 / [email protected]

(04/08/05) Kahn Cattle Company of Bartow County, Georgia; Roger F. Kahn, owner of Kahn Cattle Co.; and Glen M. Bramlett, Farm Manager of the company, were all sentenced on March 24 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in Rome, Ga. Kahn Cattle Company was ordered to pay $95,664 in restitution and also pay a $170,000 criminal fine for illegally disposing of hazardous waste in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. One hundred eight thousand dollars of the fine paid by Kahn Cattle Company will be used to acquire and preserve wetlands. Roger Kahn and Glen Bramlett will each spend 60 days in home confinement, perform 160 hours of community service and serve one year of supervised release. Each man will also pay a $15,000 fine for unlawfully killing approximately 3,300 migratory birds in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. All three defendants were additionally ordered to publish advertisements in trade publications warning others not to use pesticides to illegally kill birds. On or about Jan. 20, 2003, Roger Kahn and Glen Bramlett spread corn laced with a chemical known as Warbex around a pond on property owned by Kahn Cattle Company. The tainted corn was spread in order to kill nuisance birds. Warbex is a topical preparation that is applied to cattle to control insect pests. It contains Famphur, which is a highly toxic substance that is not meant for ingestion. As a result of this act, federal and state agents ultimately collected 3,326 dead birds, including a great horned owl, red-tailed hawks, mourning doves, Canada geese, a mallard duck, a cardinal, blue jays, red-winged blackbirds, a brown thrasher, grackles, crows and cowbirds. The case was investigated by the Atlanta Office of EPA's Criminal Investigation Division and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with support from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. It was prosecuted by the U.S. attorney's office in Atlanta.