“Fine Me. I’m Rich.” — Tourist Threw Rock At Endangered Seal, Then His Lawyer Made It Worse
What Happened
On May 5, at a beach in Lahaina, Maui, a tourist named Igor Lytvynchuk — a 38-year-old from Covington, Washington — was caught on camera hurling a coconut-sized rock directly at a Hawaiian monk seal resting near the shoreline.
A woman at the beach immediately confronted him, and his response was caught on video for all to hear.
“What are you doing? Why would you throw a rock at it? Hello?” she asked.
“I don’t care,” Igor replied. “Fine me. I’m rich.”
Image credits: kay.schnitz
The Arrest
The video went viral almost immediately, sparking outrage across Hawaii and social media. The Department of Justice confirmed that Igor was arrested near Seattle shortly after. He now faces a federal charge of disturbing or harassing an endangered animal — carrying a penalty of up to one year behind bars and a fine of $50,000 or more.
He is scheduled to appear in federal court in Honolulu on May 27.
Image credits: kay.schnitz
The Explanation
After facing massive public backlash, Igor’s lawyer Myles Breiner stepped forward with what he called “the full story.”
According to the lawyer, Igor had noticed two large sea turtles — called honu — resting on the rocks near the water, and believed the seal was threatening them. One turtle had apparently already been knocked off a rock.
“When he threw the rock, the intention was to scare the seal away,” Myles said. “He had no idea of the significance of monk seals. He frankly didn’t know we had seals in Hawaii.”
Image credits: kay.schnitz
