Influencer charged after capturing great white shark on Cape Cod

A New York YouTuber has been accused of targeting and capturing a great white shark on Cape Cod.Angler ​Christopher Stefanou allegedly took a European client onto the eastern shores of Cape Cod to capture the shark as part of a days-long trip in October last year. ​Known as LISHARKMAN on social media, Stefanou has more than two million subscribers on YouTube. Stefanou posted footage to social media showing the men using a drone and other equipment to capture and drag a great white known as “Aaron the Shark” onto the beach, Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert J. Galibois says. The group photographed themselves with the animal before releasing it, prosecutors added. A New York man has been accused of dragging Aaron the Shark (pictured) onto the shore after capturing him in Cape Cod (White Shark Logbook)​A year later, on October 21, Stefanou was arraigned in the Barnstable Superior Court, where his bail was set at $10,000. He faces a slew of charges, including animal cruelty to a shark, fishing for shark, mechanical deployment of bait, attempt to capture a shark, and possession of a protected species shark, prosecutors confirmed.Stefanou has been ordered to surrender his fishing license and remove the video of the shark, as well as being told to stay out of Massachusetts unless for legal reasons.​In a statement given to CBS News Boston, Stefanou’s attorney, Jon A. Ciraulo, said that his client maintains that he is innocent.​“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,” Ciraulo said. “The charges against Chris are allegations only. He maintains his innocence and intends to fully challenge the allegations against him.”Christopher Stefanou has over 2 million subscribers on YouTube and often posts videos of himself with sharks (Facebook/Chris Stefanou)Stefanou, from Long Island, is next due to appear in court on December 11.In one video posted to his channel, he can be seen pinning a sand tiger shark to the ground while removing a hook with just his hands. ​In another, he can be seen capturing an alligator in Florida.​“He is an extremely passionate angler who specializes in Land Based Shark Fishing on Long Island, New York, but often ventures out to different states along the east coast (sic) of the U.S.,” Stefanou is described on his website. “He also books private land-based shark fishing charters for anyone interested!”Great white sharks (stock image) are a protected species in Massachusetts (Getty Images/iStockphoto)​​Massachusetts law states that great white sharks are a protected species and that fishing for them is prohibited. Boaters and anglers are banned from intentionally luring, churning or attempting to catch the sharks.​Cape Cod is the only great white shark aggregation site in the western North Atlantic Ocean, something driven by the large local population of gray seals.​Aaron the Shark, who measures 9 and a half feet in length, has been detected over 5,000 times off the coast of Massachusetts via acoustic detection, according to the White Shark Logbook.