Influencer Ordered to Delete Social Media Photos After Posing With Great White Shark
A U.S. judge has ordered an influencer to delete his social media photos and not post any additional videos after he shared pictures of himself posing with a great white shark he caught.
Content creator Christopher Stefanou was arraigned on several charges, including animal cruelty, after sharing photos on social media that showed him capturing and dragging a great white shark onto the shore on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Known as “Lisharkman” on social media, Stefanou — who is based in Long Island, New York State — has over two million subscribers on YouTube.
30-year-old Stefanou allegedly went for a trip to the eastern shore of Cape Cod in October 2025. According to a press release from the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office, prosecutors say that Stefanou went to Cape Cod with the “goal of capturing a great white shark.”
During his trip, the influencer captured a protected great white shark named “Aaron” that had been tagged and closely monitored by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. Prosecutors alleged that he used prohibited equipment, including a drone, to catch the shark before dragging it onto the beach, posing for photos and releasing it. Stefanou then publicly posted footage and photos of the capture of the great white shark on social media.
Ordered Not to Post Photos
Authorities were only alerted to the incident after Stefanou posted images online showing him and his crew celebrating and photographing themselves with the shark before ultimately releasing it.
On Wednesday, Stefanou was arraigned on charges of animal cruelty to a shark and possession of a protected species shark, among others. At his arraignment, a judge ordered the influencer to delete all photos and video from social media that show him posing with the great white shark. Furthermore, the judge ordered Stefanou to “not post additional videos,” according to the press release from the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office.
Stefanou has also had to surrender his fishing license and was also barred from setting foot in Massachusetts. The influencer’s bail was set at $10,000.
The case comes as an influencer couple faces legal action in Oman after posing for photographs while sitting on a sea turtle laying eggs during their vacation.
Image creditsHeader photo licensed via Depositphotos.
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