South Jersey Man Sentenced to Six Hours for Shooting Endangered Hawks

A Somers Point man who admitted to killing or attempting to kill four different species of protected birds has been sentenced to six hours in prison, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced on Monday.

Robert Losasso, 70, will serve his time on Jan. 5, 2015. He will then serve 18 months of supervised release, during which time he may not possess any firearms.

He previously pleaded guilty to six counts of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for shooting the federally-protected hawks from his home.

He admitted that he fatally shot or attempted to fatally shoot red-tailed, sharp-shinned, red- shouldered and Cooper’s hawks on several occasions.

He must also pay a total of $4,350 in restitution to four wildlife rehabilitation facilities and perform 60 hours of community service at a wildlife facility.

The compensation is for money lost by the facilities treating or euthanizing hawks injured as a result of his conduct.

These birds are among the birds of prey that migrate every year from Canada along the Atlantic Flyway through New Jersey.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act was enacted in 1918 and implements protections designated for migratory birds under several international conventions to which the United States is a party.

Breeding populations of red-shouldered hawks are listed as endangered on the State of New Jersey’s Endangered and Threatened Wildlife list.

Sharp- shinned hawks and populations of Cooper’s hawks also have special protections under New Jersey state law.

Losasso didn’t have any permit to shoot the birds.

Losasso agreed to pay more than $4,000 in restitution to the wildlife rehabilitation centers that incurred losses treating or euthanizing hawks injured due to his actions.