A tourist caught on video throwing a rock at a Hawaiian monk seal in Maui will appear in court this morning. The charge against Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Washington, is “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.”

[RELATED: Man Throws Large Rock at Endangered Seal, Sparking Outrage]

Here is a portion of criminal complaint, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Hawaii:

“Lytvynchuk was observed and filmed on May 5, 2026 walking along the shoreline in the Lahaina area of Maui tracking the movements of a Hawaiian monk seal, known as ‘Lani,’ as she playfully pushed a floating log close to the shoreline. According to the complaint, Lytvynchuk then picked up a large rock, took aim, and threw the rock directly at Lani’s head. The rock narrowly missed her nose, startling her, and causing her to rear up out of the water. Witnesses immediately confronted Lytvynchuk and told him they had contacted law enforcement, to which Lytvynchuk reportedly responded that he was ‘rich enough to pay the fines,’ before walking away. According to witnesses, Lani remained largely immobile for an extended period of time after the incident, which caused much concern over her welfare.”

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, if convicted, Lytvynchuk faces up to one year in prison for each charge, plus a term of supervised release and fines of up to $50,000 under the Endangered Species Act and up to $20,000 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Watch a local news report about the tourist charged with seal harassment below (or see it here):

Header stock image by Manuel ROMARIS/Getty Images

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