Tourist Who Allegedly Hurled Rock At Endangered Seal Faces Federal Charge, Says He’s ‘Rich Enough To Pay The Fines’
A person who allegedly threw a rock at an endangered monk seal in Hawaii earlier this month and was arrested about being wealthy sufficient to pay the effective was arrested Tuesday.
Authorities say Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, is the person caught in a viral video throwing a rock {that a} witness described because the “size of a coconut” at Lani, a neighborhood monk seal, on May 5, according to a press release and legal grievance reviewed by HuffPost.
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Lytvynchuk was arrested at his Washington residence and “charged by criminal complaint … for 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.”
“I turned around, and I was like, ‘You can’t do that,’” witness Kaylee Schnitzer, 18, told local news outlet KHON2. “That’s when he told me, ‘I’m rich. Fine me with whatever you want. I can pay for it. I come here every month.'”
In its press launch, the US legal professional’s workplace, District of Hawaii, quoted witnesses saying Lytvynchuk informed them he was “rich enough to pay the fines” earlier than he walked away.
The Department of Justice launched photos from a video exhibiting a vacationer accused of throwing a rock at an endangered monk seal. Department of Justice
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“From the video, it appears the rock landed in the water, narrowly missing the seal’s head but causing the animal to abruptly alter its behavior, rearing the top half of its body up out of the water briefly and turning in the opposite direction,” prosecutors wrote within the legal grievance.
One witness informed authorities that Lani was “clearly not aggressive,” in response to the grievance. They went on to say the seal “sprung” out of the water after the rock was thrown and remained largely “immobile for an extended period of time after the incident.”
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A neighborhood shirtless vigilante, who Hawaii State Sen. Brenton Awa (R) known as an “environmental activist,” was seen in another video apparently beating up the person accused of throwing the rock on the monk seal.
Awa awarded a letter of recognition to the “environmental activist,” saying the person “took matters into his own hands to educate what might happen when you mess with our lands or the animals.”
“Our attorney over here wants to make it clear we don’t condone violence, but we did make a letter of recognition for Mr. Ambassador of Aloha,” Awa stated.
A lawyer was not listed in Lytvynchuk’s case data, and prosecutors say he remained silent and declined to offer a press release upon his arrest.
“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,” US Attorney Ken Sorenson stated within the press launch. “We pledge that those who harass and attempt to harm our protected wildlife will face rapid accountability in federal court.”
If convicted, Lytvynchuk faces as much as one yr in jail for every cost, plus a effective of as much as $50,000 underneath the Endangered Species Act and a effective of as much as $20,000 underneath the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
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