A wealthy Washington tourist accused of throwing a ‘coconut-sized’ rock at a protected monk seal off the shore of Hawaii is now facing up to a year in prison for the heinous act.
Shameless Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, was charged by the Justice Department on Tuesday for harassing Lani, the seal, while she played in the water on May 5.
He was arrested on Wednesday near Seattle and charged with violating the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. He remains in the custody of the DOJ.
Lytvynchuk faces up to a year in prison and up to a $70,000 in fines for his behavior.
‘The unique and precious wildlife of the Hawaiian Islands are renowned symbols of Hawaii’s special place in the world and its incredible biodiversity,’ US Attorney Ken Sorenson said in a statement.
‘We pledge that those who harass and attempt to harm our protected wildlife will face rapid accountability in federal court.’
On May 5, he had been approached by horrified witnesses, including Kaylee Schnitzer, who filmed the incident and informed him that the seal was a protected animal.
The Washington resident allegedly replied that he didn’t care about the animal’s welfare because he was ‘rich enough to pay the fines,’ according to the probable cause document, viewed by the Daily Mail.
Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, could spend a year in prison and be fined up to $70,000 for throwing a ‘coconut-sized’ rock at a protected Hawaiian seal monk
Lytvynchuk was arrested on Wednesday and remains in custody of the DOJ. He was identified by federal investigation through his Washington driver’s license
The ‘coconut-sized’ rock Lytvynchuk threw at the animal nearly hit Lani, who popped out of the water is surprise before swimming off to safety.
The seal swam to a pile of rocks, where she lay on her back with her tail and head in the water for an extended period of time, causing the witnesses to worry the animal had died.
Hawaiian monk seals are protected under federal and state law, and residents and tourists are required to stay 50 feet away from them at all times.
Schnitzer told investigators that the seal had been playing with a log before Lytvynchuk threw the rock at her and she was ‘clearly not aggressive.’
The second witness, who was not identified, told investigators that Lytvynchuk did not check on the animal, despite that Lani ‘clearly seemed hurt.’
Investigators were able to identify Lytvynchuk through his Washington driver’s license. They discovered he was staying at the Lahaina Shores Beach Resort while on vacation in Maui.
Lytvynchuk is the president of IL Logistics, a Seattle-based logistics company. He has also been linked to Transridge, which Yelp reviewers have accused of being ‘run by people who have no shame in trying to kill animals in broad daylight.’
Nelson Chauncey, another local, said tourists fail to follow rules and think their vacation time is just a chance to ‘have fun and let loose,’ he told Hawaii News Now.
Kaylee Schnitzer, a local, filmed the interaction and turned the video over to federal investigators
Hawaiian monk seals are protected under federal and state law, and residents and tourists are required to stay 50 feet away from them at all times
‘They don’t really realize this is our home, and these are the protocols we live by every single day,’ he told Hawaii News Now.
Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen also criticized the tourist, saying: ‘Lani is not just a seal to us, she is part of our ocean ohana in Lahaina. Many of our residents know her, watch over her, and care deeply about her well-being.’
‘Let me be clear, this is not the kind of visitor we welcome on Maui,’ he added. ‘Behavior like this will not be tolerated.’
Hawaiian monk seals can weigh up to 600 pounds and be up to seven feet long.
It is one of the most endangered seal species in the world, and its population has been declining for six decades, NOAA said.
There is an estimated 1,600 of them left, with the majority of them in Papahānaumokuākea, an area of the ocean in the Northwestern Hawaiian islands.
Around 400 of them live near the main Hawaiian islands.
