CHRISTOPHER STEFANOU charged for illegal capture of great white shark off Cape Cod in October 2025

- Massachusetts, USA -

Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert J Galibois announced that 30-year-old CHRISTOPHER STEFANOU of Long Island, New York, is facing charges following an incident that occurred in Massachusetts in October 2025.

The case involves the illegal capture of a great white shark known as Aaron, who had been tagged and closely monitored by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries in collaboration with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

District Attorney Galibois said that in October 2025, STEFANOU and his crew embarked on a days-long excursion along the eastern shore of Cape Cod, accompanied by a European client, with the goal of capturing a great white shark. The excursion resulted in the capture of Aaron.

A press release issued by District Attorney Galibois states that authorities were alerted to the alleged illegal activity after STEFANOU publicly posted video footage of the capture on social media. The footage reportedly showed the men using prohibited equipment, including a drone, to capture and drag Aaron onto the beach, where they celebrated and photographed themselves with Aaron before releasing him.

On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, STEFANOU was arraigned in Barnstable Superior Court after a Barnstable County grand jury indicted him. The charges listed at his arraignment included animal cruelty involving a shark, fishing for a shark, mechanical deployment of bait, attempted capture of a shark, and possession of a protected shark species.

The court set bail at $10,000 and imposed several conditions. STEFANOU was ordered to surrender his fishing license, remove videos related to the allegations from social media, and refrain from posting additional videos or making posts about the case. He was also ordered to stay out of Massachusetts except for legal proceedings, refrain from fishing or boating in Massachusetts waters, refrain from using drones in those waters, and refrain from advertising fishing activities in Massachusetts waters.

STEFANOU is scheduled to return to Barnstable Superior Court on December 11, 2026.

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Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is based on the press release issued by Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert J Galibois. Please note that details may be removed or new information added should updates become available.

In the case of charges being dropped, dismissed, or the case being purged, this article will be rectified accordingly, if official documentation is provided to Voice For Us.

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