What's corroborated

Lytvynchuk was scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Thursday.

Hawaiian monk seals are critically endangered with only 1,600 remaining in the wild.

The incident went viral after witness Kaylee Schnitzer shared the clip on social media.

When confronted by witnesses who said they had contacted authorities, Lytvynchuk bragged that he was 'rich enough to pay the fines.'

Witnesses said Lani remained largely immobile for an extended period after the incident.

Footage showed a large rock being hurled at the seal's head, almost hitting its nose, startling it.

Lytvynchuk was filmed observing the seal Lani along the shoreline of the Lahaina area of Maui before the incident.

If convicted, Lytvynchuk faces up to a year in prison for each charge, 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.

The incident occurred on May 5, a week before the arrest.

The 38-year-old from Covington was detained by NOAA special agents on Wednesday near Seattle.

A Washington man, Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, was arrested by federal agents for throwing a rock at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal.