Washington Businessman Charged After Throwing Rock at Monk Seal

A Washington state businessman has been arrested and charged with federal crimes after a viral video captured him throwing a large rock at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal on a Maui beach earlier this month.

Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, was arrested near Seattle on Wednesday by special agents with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He faces charges of harassing and attempting to harass an endangered animal, violations of both the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. If convicted, he could face up to one year in prison on each charge, along with a fine of up to $50,000 under the Endangered Species Act and up to $20,000 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

According to a criminal complaint, the incident occurred on May 5 along the shoreline of Lahaina, Maui. Cellphone video taken by a witness shows a man, later identified as Lytvynchuk, holding a rock described as the size of a coconut, taking aim, and throwing it directly at the seal. Prosecutors said the rock narrowly missed the animal’s head, startling it and causing it to rear up out of the water. Witnesses reported the seal remained largely immobile...