The Daily Populous Thursday May 14th, 2026 evening edition
Authored by edition.cnn.com and submitted by 501102

A tourist who drew widespread condemnation in Hawaii after a witness recorded him chucking a coconut-sized rock at “Lani,” a beloved, endangered Hawaiian monk seal off a Maui beach, was arrested Wednesday by federal agents.

Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, is charged with harassing a protected animal, the US attorney’s office in Honolulu said, adding that National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration special agents arrested him near Seattle. He was scheduled to appear in US District Court in Seattle on Thursday.

The court docket didn’t list an attorney, and a person who answered the phone at a number associated with Lytvynchuk declined to comment.

A state Department of Land and Natural Resources officer last week 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.

“In the cellphone video, the man can be seen holding a large rock with one hand, aiming, and throwing it directly at the monk seal,” prosecutors said a criminal complaint. The rock, described by a witness as the size of a coconut, narrowly missed the seal’s head, but caused the “animal to abruptly alter its behavior,” the complaint said.

When a witness confronted the man, he said “he did not care and was ‘rich’ enough to pay any fines,” the complaint said.

Richard T. Bissen Jr., Mayor of Maui County, speaking in a video posted to social media about the incident. County of Maui/Instagram

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said the charges send a clear message that cruelty toward protected wildlife won’t be tolerated. Lani’s return after the wildfires brought a sense of healing and hope during a difficult time, he said.

“Lani is a reminder that humanity and the instinct to protect what is vulnerable are still values people can unite around,” Bissen said in an emailed statement.

The mayor said he called the US attorney in Honolulu to advocate for prosecution.

Lytvynchuk is charged with harassing and attempting to harass an endangered Hawaiian monk seal.

Hawaiian monk seals are a critically endangered species. Only 1,600 remain in the wild.

If convicted, Lytvynchuk, 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.

thecheesypoofs on May 14th, 2026 at 11:51 UTC »

Who is Igor Lytvynchuk?

Lytvynchuk is listed as the president of IL Logistics, Inc., a Seattle based logistics company, according to a filing with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission.

Lytvynchuk was identified by online sleuths not long after the original video was posted earlier this month. He has anecdotally been linked with another Seattle-based company, Transridge, which has been targeted with negative reviews on Yelp. Newsweek has been unable to verify if he is involved with the company.

RepulsiveLoquat418 on May 14th, 2026 at 11:26 UTC »

"When a witness confronted the man, he said “he did not care and was ‘rich’ enough to pay any fines,”"

in case he wasn't loathsome enough already.

DookieShoez on May 14th, 2026 at 11:26 UTC »

“I don’t care, I’m rich.”

Hows that working out buddy?

Hahaha fuck that guy. 😂