Judge orders fishing influencer to erase social media pics after he illegally nets great white

He bit off more than he could chew.

A fishing influencer who calls himself the “LI Sharkman” who illegally caught a tracked great white nicknamed “Aaron” was ordered to take down social media picks of his Cape Cod romp.

Massapequa resident Christopher Stefanou, 30, spent days on the cape’s eastern shore with his crew and a European business partner in October 2025 hunting for a great white shark, according to Massachusetts prosecutors. 

A shirtless man posing on a beach at night, holding a large shark.
Christopher Stefanou, 30, was charged after illegally catching a tagged shark named “Aaron.” Chris Stefanou / Facebook

Stefanou used illegal fishing equipment, including a drone, to capture and drag the shark onto the beach. Aaron the Shark was a protected great white that was already tagged and being closely monitored by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

Authorities were only alerted to the illegal catch after Stefanou posted a video online showing him and his crew celebrating and photographing themselves with the shark before ultimately releasing it, police said. 

A man in a red tank top stands in the surf at night, holding onto the dorsal fin of a massive great white shark stranded in the shallows.
Stefanou is from Massapequa and known locally as the “Long Island Sharkman.”

Most of the waters around the cape are off-limits to gear built to haul in large fish like great whites, authorities detailed. 

But the illegal catch came back to bite him Wednesday when he was hit with a boatload of charges, including cruelty to animals, fishing for shark, mechanical deployment of bait, attempting to capture a shark and possession of a protected species.

He was also ordered to remove all videos of him with the shark from social media, authorities said. 

At his arraignment Wednesday, Stefanou was ordered to hand over his fishing license, and was barred from setting foot in Massachusetts. His bail was set at $10,000. 

Stefanou is due back in court Dec. 11.

Related Posts

JUST 5 POUNDS AT BIRTH, KYRIE FACES 𝖠𝖱𝖯𝖪𝖣 WITH KIDNEYS THE SIZE OF AN ADULT’S, TWO KIDNEY REMOVALS AND DAILY DIALYSIS

Just five pounds at birth, little Kyrie was facing a challenge far bigger than anyone could have imagined.

Born with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD), Kyrie came into the world w…

She asked if the burning was normal, and a bent needle came out of her arm

Christa Gail Pike was supposed to be ᴅᴇᴀᴅ before the witnesses left the room.

Instead, the 50-year-old woman strapped to a gurney at Riverbend Maximum Security Insтιтution in Nashville spent the even…

‘Looksmaxxing’ influencer Clavicular brings barking dog to court for rαp̰̃є charge hearing

“Looksmaxxing” influencer Clavicular brought a barking dog to his court appearance Thursday before pleading not guilty to charges that he ɾap̶єḋ a 17-year-old girl.

Internet personality Braden Peters,…

ADOPTED BABY GIRL WITH A RARE LIMB DIFFERENCE HAS CHANGED HER FAMILY’S LIFE FOREVER, HER MOTHER REVEALS

When Adrianne and Jason Stewart decided to adopt another child two years ago, they never imagined they would welcome a little girl with such unique needs.

But when they saw the bright, happy face of …

The Lawyers Thought Life Support Was Coming Off. On the Sixth Day She Woke Up and Knew Exactly Who Had Tried to K*ll Her

For six days after the night of September 30, Christa Pike was the patient her own lawyers had been told not to expect back.

She had been taken from the exє𝔠uti☉n chamber at Riverbend Maximum Securit…

California college girl gets fright of her life while trying on Halloween costume: ‘Watching you’

A young Loyola Marymount University student said she’s never felt so violated after surveillance footage revealed a notorious neighborhood creep spying on her as she changed into a Halloween costume.
…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *