A defense attorney representing a tourist from Washington state, who is accused of throwing a rock the size of a coconut at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal, claims his client was acting in defense of sea turtles. The attorney also states that the accused has since become a target of physical assault, threats, and doxing.
Igor Lytvynchuk, aged 38 and hailing from Covington, Washington, is set to appear before the U.S. District Court in Honolulu on Wednesday. He faces charges related to the harassment and attempted harassment of a protected animal.
Prosecutors allege that earlier this month, a bystander captured a video of Lytvynchuk throwing a rock at a Hawaiian monk seal on a beach in Maui. Following this, he coordinated his surrender in the Seattle area amid efforts by special agents from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to apprehend him, according to prosecution statements.
The video sparked widespread outrage and calls for justice in Hawaii, notably from the mayor of Maui. NOAA has identified the targeted seal as an adult male known by the designation “R404.”
Prosecutors noted that an officer from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources responded to a report of monk seal harassment in Lahaina, a community that suffered extensive damage from a devastating wildfire in 2023. The officer was shown a video by a witness, depicting the seal swimming in shallow waters while a man observed from the shore.
Department of Justice
mon
According to prosecutors, a state Department of Land and Natural Resources officer investigated a report of Hawaiian monk seal harassment in Lahaina, the community that was largely destroyed by a deadly wildfire in 2023. A witness showed the officer video of the seal swimming in shallow water while a man watched from shore.
The video showed Lytvynchuk throwing the rock, directly at the seal, narrowly missing its head, prosecutors said in a criminal complaint.
Maui resident Kaylee Schnitzer, 18, told HawaiiNewsNow she witnessed the incident while taking photos nearby.
“What he was picking up was like a rock the size of a coconut,” Schnitzer said. “It wasn’t no small rock. It was the size of a coconut. And he threw it right, directly aiming towards the monk seal’s head.”
When a witness confronted Lytvynchuk, he said “he did not care and was ‘rich’ enough to pay any fines,” according to the complaint.
Breiner explained his client had been to Hawaii previously and was familiar with sea turtles, but not Hawaiian monk seals. Lytvynchuk is a fisherman and thought the seal was an aggressive sea lion, the lawyer said.
“So his response was not to hurt this monk seal, but to get it away from the turtles,” Breiner said.
The incident shows NOAA must do more to educate the public about protecting Hawaiian monk seals, Hawaii’s U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat, said in a statement.
Since the video surfaced, Lytvynchuk has faced death threats and doxing, including receiving a package at his home containing what appeared to be feces, Breiner said.
He said his client is being treated unfairly because he’s a white outsider. “The vast majority of attacks on monk seal and turtle are by locals,” he said.
Lytvynchuk is charged with violations of 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.
“The unique and precious wildlife of the Hawaiian Islands are renowned symbols of Hawaii’s special place in the world and its incredible biodiversity,” U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson said in a statement. “We are committed to protecting our vulnerable wild species, in particular, endangered Hawaiian monk seals.”
If convicted, he faces up to one year in prison for each charge. He also faces 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.
In 2016, a man was seen on video appearing to beat a pregnant Hawaiian monk seal in shallow water.
