Covington man charged with harassing Hawaiian monk seal
Published 1:29 pm Wednesday, May 27, 2026
A 38-year-old Covington man was charged May 26 with harassing an endangered monk seal by hurling a large rock at its head.
Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk was charged with “taking” an endangered monk seal in violation of the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Hawaii May 26 press release.
Under the statutes, a “taking” includes, among other things, harassing, harming, pursuing, hunting, wounding and killing a protected species, or attempting to do so. Lytvynchuk was previously charged by criminal complaint on May 12, and arrested the following day near Seattle by Special Agents of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
According to court records, Lytvynchuk was observed and filmed on May 5 walking along the shoreline in the Lahaina area of Maui tracking the movements of a Hawaiian monk seal as it 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 the seal head.
The rock narrowly missed the seal’s nose, startling it, and causing it 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, the monk seal remained largely immobile for an extended period of time after the incident, which caused much concern over the seal’s welfare.
If convicted, Lytvynchuk, faces up to one year in prison for each charge, plus a term of supervised release. Lytvynchuk also faces a fine of up to $50,000 under the Endangered Species Act, a fine of up to $20,000 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and a fine of up to $100,000 under the Criminal Fine Improvements Act.
“Today’s (May 26) charges against Igor Lytvynchuk demonstrate our solemn commitment to not only protect Hawaii’s endangered monk seals, but all of our unique and endangered wildlife species from those who illegally harass, injure, or attempt to take them in defiance of federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “Igor Lytvynchuk now stands formally charged for these alleged offenses and will face justice in federal court.”
According to a Associated Press report on nbcnews.com, since the incident Lytvynchuk has been physically assaulted, threatened and doxed, according to his defense attorney Myles Breiner.
Sorenson issued a statement in response to what Lytvynchuk has faced.
”We urge all to allow the process of justice to proceed and understand that Lytvynchuk enjoys certain rights, including the presumption of innocence,” Sorenson said. “We look forward to proceeding with our case in United States District Court.”
Breiner explained his client had been to Hawaii previously and was familiar with sea turtles, but not Hawaiian monk seals, according to the news report. Lytvynchuk is a fisherman and thought the seal was an aggressive sea lion, the lawyer said.
“So his response was not to hurt this monk seal, but to get it away from the turtles,” Breiner said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service – Office of Law Enforcement is investigating the case.
Lytvynchuk owns IL Logistics Inc. and BFI Transport Inc. in Kent, according to the state Department of Revenue.
