Man charged with animal cruelty after illegally capturing great white shark

A New York man has been charged with animal cruelty for illegally capturing a great white shark on the eastern shore of Cape Cod.

Christopher Stefanou, 30, was arraigned on Wednesday in Barnstable Superior Court on charges including animal cruelty to shark, fishing for shark, mechanical deployment of bait, attempt to capture a shark and possession of protected species shark, according to the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office.

It is alleged that in October 2025, Stefanou and his crew embarked on a days-long excursion on the eastern shore of Cape Cod with a European client with the goal of capturing a great white shark, the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office said.

During the excursion, “Aaron the Shark,” was captured, a great white shark that had been tagged and closely monitored by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, working with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

“Authorities were alerted to the illegal activity when Stefanou publicly posted video footage of the capture on social media showing the men using prohibited equipment, including a drone, to capture and drag the shark onto the beach, where they proceeded to celebrate and photograph themselves with the shark prior to releasing it,” according to the news release.

Aaron the Shark is listed in the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s white shark logbook. The shark is nine-and-a-half feet and it was tagged by researchers in 2024.

Prosecutors said that Massachusetts Regulations prohibit shore-based shark fishing with equipment specifically designed to lure and capture large species of fish, including the prohibited species of white shark, in most of the waters surrounding Cape Cod.

The regulations are designed to protect the public from practices that intentionally lure the prohibited species closer to the shore.

Stefanou’s bail was set at $10,000 and he was also ordered to surrender his fishing licence, remove the social media video of the capture, not post any additional videos and stay out of the state of Massachusetts except for legal reasons.

Stefanou is also not allowed to fish, boat or use drones in Massachusetts water or post about the case.

He is due back in Barnstable Superior Court in December.

In a statement to CBS News, Stefanou’s lawyer said his client is “a skilled and accomplished angler with more than a decade of experience.”

“There can be no question that Chris respects the sport, actively participates in conservation practices, assists in marine tagging and research efforts, and volunteers his time to educate enthusiasts on safe and responsible angling,” his lawyer, Jon A. Ciraulo told the outlet.

“The charges against Chris are allegations only. He maintains his innocence and intents to fully challenge the allegations against him,” he added.