{"id":1247,"date":"2026-05-28T08:33:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T08:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=1247"},"modified":"2026-05-28T08:33:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T08:33:32","slug":"washington-tourist-pleads-not-guilty-in-hawaiian-monk-seal-rock-case-barred-from-hawaii-beaches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=1247","title":{"rendered":"Washington tourist pleads not guilty in Hawaiian monk seal rock case, barred from Hawaii beaches"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HONOLULU \u2014 A tourist from Washington state pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges accusing him of hurling a coconut-sized rock at an\u00a0endangered Hawaiian monk seal and was ordered to stay away from Hawaii beaches.<\/p>

Read more US military posts video of deadly strike against suspected drug boat in the Pacific<\/a><\/p> <\/div>\n

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Igor Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, was in U.S. District Court in Honolulu Wednesday, where he pleaded not guilty to charges of harassing and attempting to harass a protected animal. U.S. Magistrate Judge Rom Trader allowed him to remain free pending the criminal case but ordered him to stay away from beaches and marine wildlife while in Hawaii.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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\u201cYou’re not going to the beach, you understand that,\u201d Trader told Lytvynchuk, who responded that he understood.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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Lytvynchuk declined to comment after the hearing.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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One of his defense attorneys, Myles Breiner, said previously his client was trying to protect sea turtles and has since been physically assaulted, threatened and doxed.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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Earlier this month, a witness recorded what prosecutors say was a video of him throwing the rock at a Hawaiian monk seal at a Maui beach. He later made arrangements to surrender in the Seattle area as special agents with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were seeking to arrest him, prosecutors said.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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The video drew widespread condemnation and demands for prosecution in Hawaii, including from Maui\u2019s mayor. Scientists identified the seal as an adult male known as \u201cR404,” NOAA said.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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38-year-old Igor Lytvynchuk is due in federal court in Honolulu today. Lytvynchuk is facing charges for harassing a protected animal in Hawaii. <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div> <\/div>\n
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According to prosecutors, a state Department of Land and Natural Resources officer 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.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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The video showed Lytvynchuk throwing the rock, described by a witness as the size of a coconut, directly at the seal, narrowly missing its head, prosecutors said in a criminal complaint.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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When a witness confronted Lytvynchuk, he said \u201che did not care and was \u2018rich\u2019 enough to pay any fines,\u201d according to the complaint.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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Afterward, a man \u201cbrutally assaulted\u201d Lytvynchuk, Breiner said. Lytvynchuk declined to file a police report on the assault, the attorney said.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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Breiner explained his client had been to Hawaii previously and was familiar with sea turtles, but not Hawaiian monk seals. Lytvynchuk is a fisherman and thought the seal was an aggressive sea lion, the lawyer said.<\/p>

Read more Millions of insulin pods may be leaking, FDA warns: Here\u2019s how to check yours<\/a><\/p> <\/div>\n

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\u201cSo his response was not to hurt this monk seal, but to get it away from the turtles,\u201d Breiner said.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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The incident shows NOAA must do more to educate the public about protecting\u00a0Hawaiian monk seals, Hawaii’s U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat, said in a statement.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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Since the video surfaced, Lytvynchuk has faced death threats and doxing, including receiving a package at his home containing what appeared to be feces, Breiner said.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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He said his client is being treated unfairly because he is a white outsider. \u201cThe vast majority of attacks on monk seal and turtle are by locals,” he said.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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Lytvynchuk is charged with violations of the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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Hawaiian monk seals are a critically endangered species. Only 1,600 remain in the wild.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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If convicted, he 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.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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At the hearing, attended by numerous Hawaiian monk seal protection activists, Trader set a scheduling hearing for June 9, but said Lytvynchuk is allowed to participate by phone or video from Washington. Trader ordered him not to travel outside Washington and Hawaii. Lytvynchuk said he surrendered his U.S. passport to authorities.<\/p> <\/div>\n

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Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Read more 9 spellers advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals. Here\u2019s where they\u2019re from.<\/a><\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HONOLULU \u2014 A tourist from Washington state pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges accusing him of hurling a coconut-sized rock at an\u00a0endangered Hawaiian monk seal and was ordered to stay away from Hawaii beaches. Read more US military posts video of deadly strike against suspected drug boat in the Pacific Igor Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1245,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nation-world"],"yoast_head":"\nWashington tourist pleads not guilty in Hawaiian monk seal rock case, barred from Hawaii beaches - Scottsdale Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=1247\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Washington tourist pleads not guilty in Hawaiian monk seal rock case, barred from Hawaii beaches - Scottsdale Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"HONOLULU \u2014 A tourist from Washington state pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges accusing him of hurling a coconut-sized rock at an\u00a0endangered Hawaiian monk seal and was ordered to stay away from Hawaii beaches. 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