Authorities said Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, was arrested at his Washington home on Tuesday after a viral video appeared to show him throwing a rock at a local monk seal named Lani in Hawaii. Prosecutors said the rock landed in the water and narrowly missed the seal’s head.
The case turned on the behavior seen in that May 5 encounter. Prosecutors said the seal abruptly reared the top half of its body out of the water, turned away and then remained largely immobile for an extended period after the incident. One witness told authorities that Lani was “clearly not aggressive.” Another said the seal “sprung” out of the water after the rock was thrown.
Witnesses also said Lytvynchuk made a point of brushing off the confrontation. Kaylee Schnitzer, 18, told KHON2 that he said, “I’m rich. Fine me with whatever you want. I can pay for it. I come here every month.” The U.S. attorney’s office in the District of Hawaii quoted witnesses saying he was “rich enough to pay the fines” before he walked away.
On Tuesday, prosecutors said he was charged by criminal complaint with harassing and attempting to harass an endangered Hawaiian monk seal. The complaint says the conduct violated the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. No lawyer was listed in Lytvynchuk’s case records, and prosecutors said he remained silent and declined to provide a statement when arrested.
The arrest gives the case immediate force. It moves the matter from a disputed video and witness accounts into federal court, where the penalties are real: up to one year in prison for each charge, a fine of up to $50,000 under the Endangered Species Act and another $20,000 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act if he is convicted.
U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson said the office is committed to protecting endangered Hawaiian monk seals like Lani. “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,” he said. He added that those who harass and attempt to harm protected wildlife will face “rapid accountability in federal court.”
The case is about more than one rock throw. It is about a protected seal in Hawaii, a viral video that drew federal attention, and whether prosecutors can prove a brief act on a beach crossed the line into a crime under two federal wildlife laws. With no lawyer named yet in the public record, the next chapter will be decided in court, not online.
