A tourist from Washington state is facing federal charges after prosecutors say a witness videotaped him throwing rocks the size of coconuts.
SEATTLE (AP) — A tourist from Washington state is facing federal charges after prosecutors say a witness recorded a video of him throwing coconut-sized rocks at others. Endangered Hawaiian monk seal Just off the beach in Maui last week.
Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, arranged to surrender Wednesday in the Seattle area as agents from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sought his arrest, Assistant U.S. Attorney Aislinn Affinito in Honolulu said.
He was accused of harassing and attempting to harass a protected animal.
Litvinchuk, who lives in Covington, Washington, appeared Thursday in U.S. District Court in Seattle. The judge ordered him released pending a court appearance in Honolulu on May 27.
Federal Public Defender Greg Guest, who represented Litvinchuk at the hearing, said Litvinchuk retained an attorney in Hawaii, but the attorney’s name was not immediately listed in case records. After the hearing, Geist declined to answer questions from an AP reporter or identify the lawyer Litvinchuk hired.
Two supporters present at the hearing declined to comment.
The video drew widespread condemnation and calls for prosecution in Hawaii, including from Maui’s mayor.
State Department of Land and Natural Resources officials last week investigated a report of Hawaiian monk seal harassment in Lahaina, which has largely devastated the community. Deadly Wildfires of 2023. A witness showed police video of the seal swimming in shallow water as a man watched from the shore.
“In the cellphone video, the man can be seen holding a large rock in one hand, aiming it and throwing it directly at the monk seal,” prosecutors said in a criminal complaint. Witnesses described the rock as being the size of a coconut, narrowly missing the seal’s head but causing “the animal to suddenly change its behavior,” according to the complaint.
When a witness confronted the man, he said “he didn’t care and was ‘rich’ enough to pay any fine,” according to the complaint.
Maui Mayor Richard Beason said the charges send a clear message: Abuse of protected wildlife will not be tolerated. He calls the seal “Lani,” a well-known and beloved character on the Lahaina waterfront whose return after the wildfires brought a sense of healing and hope during difficult times.
But the state Department of Natural Resources said in an email that it was probably not a Lani because it lacked certain markings.
“Humanity and the instinct to protect the vulnerable remain values around which people can rally,” Beeson said in an emailed statement.
The mayor said he called the U.S. attorney in Honolulu to advocate for prosecution.
Litvinchuk was charged with violating the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Hawaiian monk seals are a critically endangered species. Only 1,600 remain in the wild.
If convicted, Litvinchuk faces up to one year in prison on each charge. He also faces fines of up to $50,000 under the Endangered Species Act and up to $20,000 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Kelleher reported from Honolulu. Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.
