A businessman who allegedly said he was "rich enough" to avoid the consequences of allegedly attacking a beloved endangered seal species in Hawaii might have to prove it after a viral video of the incident led to his arrest by federal authorities.
Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, is suspected of tossing a rock at the head of an endangered Hawaiian monk seal — one of the rarest marine mammals on earth — on May 5 in an incident that was caught on camera by locals.
Business records show that Lytvynchuk, who boasted about his wealth when confronted about his actions by angry passersby, owns a logistics and trucking company based in Kent, Washington.
"What are you doing? Why would you throw a rock at it? Hello?" a woman can be heard shouting in the video as the man, wearing a white shirt and swim trunks, lobbed a rock at the seal's head on a Maui shoreline.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member