A man who led a successful expedition to capture a great white shark off Massachusetts’ coast last year is charged with cruelty to animals and other offenses.
Christopher Stefanou, of New York, is accused of illegally capturing the great white shark along Cape Cod in October 2025 as part of a dayslong venture with Stefanou’s crew and a European client, according to the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts.
Stefanou, 30, was arraigned on Wednesday, October 21, on charges of animal cruelty to shark, fishing for shark, mechanical deployment of bait, attempt to capture a shark and possession of a protected species, the district attorney’s office said in a news release.
Stefanou’s bail was set at $10,000. He’s also been ordered to surrender his fishing license, stay out of Massachusetts and remove social media footage relating to the alleged illegal shark as part of multiple conditions that were imposed, according to prosecutors.
Stefanou is accused of capturing a great white shark, known to marine researchers as “Aaron,” in October 2025, the district attorney’s office said. The shark had previously been tagged and was being monitored by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries in collaboration with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.
Law enforcement learned of the illegal catch off of Cape Cod after Stefanou posted video of the shark to social media, according to prosecutors. The footage allegedly showed Stefanou and his crew using a drone to capture the shark, which they then dragged onto a beach.
“They proceeded to celebrate and photograph themselves with the shark prior to releasing it,” the district attorney’s office said.
According to state regulations, it’s illegal to attract, target and fish for great white sharks.
Massachusetts regulations also ban fishing for sharks offshore “with equipment specifically designed to lure and capture large species of fish,” including great whites, in most of Cape Cod, the district attorney’s office noted.
Stefanou is due to return to Barnstable Superior Court on December 11, according to prosecutors.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Stefanou retained legal counsel or entered a plea.
The district attorney’s office said in its release that Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert J. Galibois “acknowledges the vital role that responsible anglers play in ensuring the long-term viability of recreational sport fishing on Cape Cod, while also understanding the need to investigate and prosecute those offenders who go outside the boundaries of well-established regulations and criminal statutes.”
