A man who allegedly threw a rock at an endangered monk seal in Hawaii earlier this month and bragged about being rich enough to pay the fine was arrested Tuesday.
Authorities say Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, is the man caught in a viral video throwing a rock that a witness described as the “size of a coconut” at Lani, a local monk seal, on May 5, according to a press release and criminal complaint reviewed by JS.
Lytvynchuk was arrested at his Washington home and “charged by criminal complaint … for harassing and attempting to harass an endangered Hawaiian monk seal by throwing a large rock at the seal’s head, in violation of the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act.”
“I turned around, and I was like, ‘You can’t do that,’” witness Kaylee Schnitzer, 18, told local news outlet KHON2. “That’s when he told me, ‘I’m rich. Fine me with whatever you want. I can pay for it. I come here every month.’”
In its press release, the U.S. attorney’s office, District of Hawaii, quoted a witnesses saying Lytvynchuk told them he was “rich enough to pay the fines” before he walked away.
“From the video, it appears the rock landed in the water, narrowly missing the seal’s head but causing the animal to abruptly alter its behavior, rearing the top half of its body up out of the water briefly and turning in the opposite direction,” prosecutors wrote in the criminal complaint.
One witness told authorities that Lani was “clearly not aggressive,” according to the complaint. They went on to say the seal “sprung” out of the water after the rock was thrown and remained largely “immobile for an extended period of time after the incident.”
A local shirtless vigilante, who Hawaii State Sen. Brenton Awa (R) referred to as an “environmental activist,” was seen in another video apparently beating up the man accused of throwing the rock at the monk seal.
Awa awarded a letter of recognition to the “environmental activist,” saying the individual “took matters into his own hands to educate what might happen when you mess with our lands or the animals.”
“Our attorney over here wants to make it clear we don’t condone violence, but we did make a letter of recognition for Mr. Ambassador of Aloha,” Awa said.
A lawyer was not listed in Lytvynchuk’s case records, and prosecutors say he remained silent and declined to provide a statement upon his arrest.
“The unique and precious wildlife of the Hawaiian Islands are renowned symbols of Hawaii’s special place in the world and its incredible biodiversity. We are committed to protecting our vulnerable wild species, in particular endangered Hawaiian monk seals, like Lani,” U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson said in the press release. “We pledge that those who harass and attempt to harm our protected wildlife will face rapid accountability in federal court.”
If convicted, Lytvynchuk faces up to one year in prison for each charge, plus a fine of up to $50,000 under the Endangered Species Act and a fine of up to $20,000 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.