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By Aliss Higham
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A trial date has been set for a man accused of throwing a rock at an endangered monk seal in Hawaii last month.
Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, appeared in court remotely on Tuesday as magistrate Judge Rom Trader established key deadlines leading up to a November jury trial.
Lytvynchuk was charged in May with harassing and attempting to harass an endangered Hawaiian monk seal under federal wildlife protection laws after a video appeared to show him hurling a rock at a seal, known locally as Lani, earlier in the same month.
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The attack gained national attention after a witness posted footage of incident on social media.
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What Happened?
According to the complaint, the incident occurred on May 5, 2026 in the Lahaina area of Maui, where the defendant was filmed walking along the shoreline while following the movements of a Hawaiian monk seal, known locally as Lani. The seal was reportedly pushing a floating log near the shore at the time.
The complaint alleges that Lytvynchuk then picked up a large rock, aimed it at the seal and threw it toward Lani’s head. The rock narrowly missed the seal’s nose, startling the animal and causing it to rear out of the water. Witnesses said the seal remained largely motionless for an extended period afterward. The current status of Lani is not publicly known.
Witnesses confronted Lytvynchuk and told him law enforcement had been contacted. According to the complaint, he responded that he was "rich enough to pay the fines" before walking away.
Lytvynchuk is charged with harassing and attempting to harass an endangered Hawaiian monk seal under federal wildlife protection laws. If convicted, he faces up to one year in prison for each charge, plus 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.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
"The unique and precious wildlife of the Hawaiian Islands are renowned symbols of Hawaii’s special place in the world and its incredible biodiversity," U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson said. "We are committed to protecting our vulnerable wild species, in particular endangered Hawaiian monk seals, like Lani. We pledge that those who harass and attempt to harm our protected wildlife will face rapid accountability in federal court."
When Is The Trial?
The trial is set to start on November 16 in Honolulu.
Key dates in the proceedings:
- October 28, 2026: Joint trial presentation statement due
- November 4, 2026: Trial conference scheduled
- November 16, 2026 (9 a.m. local time, Honolulu): Trial begins
Lytvynchuk's is represented by attorney Myles Breiner. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Nammar is prosecuting the case.
Newsweek has contacted Lytvynchuk's attorney for comment outside of regular working hours via the contact form on his website.
Attorney Defends Actions
Breiner previously defended his client, saying that Lytvynchuk did not intend to harm Lani.
"I want to be resoundingly clear to the public—he never intended to injure the monk seal," Breiner told KHON-TV.
He said Lytvynchuk believed he was trying to protect sea turtles resting on rocks nearby.
"He wanted to scare the seal away from the honu he saw there," Breiner said. "Apparently, there were two large turtles and one had already been knocked off the rock by the seal."
He added that his client was unaware that Hawaiian monk seals are endangered and believed the animal was similar to aggressive sea lions he had previously encountered while fishing in Washington state.
"Sea lions are very aggressive," Breiner said. "They’ll take your bait, they’ll take your fish—that’s been his experience."
Backlash
The incident, which was shared online by Maui local Kaylee Schnitzer and Fox 13 Seattle reporter Lauren Donovan, gained widespread attention. The video has been liked more than 100,000 times and reposted by numerous other news outlets and social media accounts.
"Like many in our community, I was shocked by what happened," Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said in a video statement. "Lani is not just a seal to us, she is part of our ocean ohana in Lahaina. Many of our residents know her, watch over her, and care deeply about her well-being."
"Let me be clear, this is not the kind of visitor we welcome on Maui," Bissen said. "We welcome respectful visitors that understand that our cultural environment and wildlife must be treated with care and aloha. Behavior like this will not be tolerated."
Lytvynchuk was later assaulted by a man in an encounter that was also captured on video and widely shared online. Breiner said he does not intend to pursue charges in connection with the assault, despite his client having been "beaten pretty bad."
Hawaiian Monk Seals
The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the world's rarest marine mammals, with an estimated wild population of about 1,600. Once driven to the brink of extinction by commercial hunting in the 1800s, the species has slowly rebounded through decades of conservation efforts.
Today, monk seals receive some of the strongest legal protections available for wildlife. Federal and state laws prohibit people from approaching, feeding, harassing, injuring or otherwise interfering with the animals, with violations carrying the possibility of substantial fines and criminal prosecution.
The species is found throughout the Hawaiian archipelago, from the populated main islands to the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, where much of the population resides within protected marine conservation areas. Although uncommon, monk seals have also been sighted at Johnston Atoll, a remote Pacific island nearly 1,000 miles southwest of Hawaii.
Hawaii's Democratic Senator Brian Schatz has said the incident proves more needs to be done to educate tourists on the archipelago's unique wildlife.
In a letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), he wrote: "This alarming incident shows that we need to do more to educate the 10 million visitors who we welcome to Hawaii each year – including continuing to ensure NOAA Fisheries, its Office of Law Enforcement, and the agency as a whole have the capacity and resources necessary to recover endangered species like the Hawaiian monk seal, conserve their habitats, and enforce their federal protection**."**
Read the Hawaiian Monk Seal Complaint in Full
USA-v-Igor-Mykhaylovych-Lytvynchuk.pdf.PDF
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