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Hawaii monk seal rock thrower arrested, to appear in Seattle court
The Covington man caught on video hurling a rock at an endangered seal in Hawaii was arrested and is set to appear in Seattle court on Thursday.
HONOLULU - A Covington man accused of throwing a rock at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal is scheduled to face a federal judge on Wednesday.
What we know:
Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, was arrested on May 13 in Washington, after video of a beach encounter on Maui spread rapidly across social media.
Federal prosecutors charged Lytvynchuk with harassing and attempting to harass an endangered Hawaiian monk seal, which violates both the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
WA man released after Seattle court hearing for monk seal attack
Igor Lytvynchuk was released after his federal court appearance in Seattle, but is due for another in Honolulu on May 27.
Investigators say the event took place on May 5, 2026, along the shoreline in Lahaina, Maui.
People watching the seal recorded video of Lytvynchuk throwing a rock the size of a coconut at the head of a seal named "Lani" while the animal was playing with a floating log. When people on the beach stopped Lytvynchuk and threatened to call the police, he reportedly responded, "I don't care, fine me, I'm rich." In the video, he also claimed he was "rich enough to pay the fines."
By the numbers:
Hawaiian monk seals are among the rarest marine mammals on Earth. Only about 1,600 of the animals remain in the wild, and they are found exclusively on the Hawaiian Islands, where they are strictly protected by federal law.
The event drew widespread community outrage after the video began spreading online. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen later released a statement addressing the visitor's behavior, stating, "Let me be clear, this is not the kind of visitor we welcome on Maui."
What's next:
Lytvynchuk faces a maximum prison sentence of one year for each federal charge and a maximum fine of $70,000 if convicted.
The Source: Information in this story came from the U.S. Department of Justice, court documents filed in U.S. District Court, a press release by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle.
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