A Washington man accused of throwing a large rock at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal has had his travel restrictions eased ahead of his trial. Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, was charged in May for violating the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act. Lytvynchuk was caught on video in Maui on May 5 allegedly tracking the movements of a Hawaiian monk seal as it pushed a floating log near the shore, according to the criminal complaint.
The complaint alleges that Lytvynchuk then picked up a large rock, took aim and threw it directly at the seal’s head. The rock just missed the seal’s nose, but startled it and caused it to rear up out of the water. The seal reportedly remained largely immobile for an extended period afterward, prompting concern over its welfare.
People at the scene intervened to confront Lytvynchuk, who reportedly responded that he was “rich enough to pay the fines” before walking away, the complaint said. He faces up to one year in prison for each charge, a term of supervised release, as well as fines of up to $50,000 under the Endangered Species Act, up to $20,000 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and up to $100,000 under the Criminal Fine Improvements Act. The endangered Hawaiian monk seal is one of the rarest marine mammals in the world, and has a total wild population of only around 1,600 individual seals.
After being released on bond, Lytvynchuk’s travel was initially restricted to the western district of Washington and the island of Oahu to attend court only. However, in an order on September 25, a federal magistrate judge in Hawaii expanded these restrictions to include the entire state of Washington, following earlier discussions about permitting work-related travel in the state. This is in addition to his being permitted to travel to Oahu for court purposes.
Lytvynchuk’s trial is scheduled to begin on November 16 before Magistrate Judge Rom Trader in Honolulu. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Attorney Ken Sorenson previously said in a statement about the case: “Today’s 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.” Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Cannon and Cristina Diciu.
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