Social media post leads to animal cruelty charges after protected great white shark caught off Cape Cod beach
The great white shark, known as Aaron, had been tagged and was being closely monitored by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries in partnership with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.
FILE VIDEO: Great white sharks swim off coast of southern Maine
A group of great white sharks were reported near the beach in Scarborough, Maine, this week. Video shows at least two of the sharks swimming around on Wednesday.
THE TAKEAWAY
- A New York man faces animal cruelty and fishing-related charges after allegedly capturing a tagged great white shark off Cape Cod.
- Investigators were alerted after he posted video of the nearly 10-foot shark being dragged onto the beach and photographed.
- Massachusetts law prohibits intentionally attracting or capturing great white sharks and using mechanized devices to deploy bait.
BARNSTABLE, Massachusetts – A New York man faces animal cruelty charges after allegedly using prohibited equipment, including a drone, to catch a protected great white shark and later dragging it onto a Cape Cod beach for a trophy social media post, that later hooked investigators onto the alleged wildlife crime.
Christopher Stefanou, 30, of New York, appeared in Barnstable Superior Court on Oct. 21 after a Cape Cod grand jury indicted him on animal cruelty and multiple fishing-related charges.
Authorities allege Stefanou and his crew, that included a client from Europe, embarked on a fishing excursion along the eastern shore beaches of Cape Cod in October 2025 with the goal of capturing a great white shark.
A Great White Shark swims just off the Cape Cod National Sea Shore in Cape Cod, Massachusetts on July 15, 2022. (Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The shark, known as Aaron, had been tagged and was being closely monitored by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries in partnership with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.
According to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s White Shark Logbook, researchers tagged Aaron in 2024, and acoustic sonar has detected him thousands of times along the Outer Cape.
SEE IT: CALIFORNIA BEACHGOERS CAPTURE VIDEO OF MONSTER GREAT WHITE SHARK LEAPING OUT OF THE WATER
After allegedly reeling in the catch, Stefanou posted video of the nearly 10-foot great white shark — footage that ultimately hooked investigators onto the alleged crime.
Shark warning signs at Lighthouse Beach on August 11, 2021 in , Chatham, MA. (Stuart Cahill/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald / Getty Images)
The footage showed the men using prohibited equipment, including a drone, to lure and capture the shark before dragging it onto the beach, according to the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office.
Authorities said the group then celebrated and photographed themselves with the shark before releasing it.
Stefanou faces charges of animal cruelty, illegal shore-based shark fishing, unauthorized possession of a prohibited species, attempting to capture a shark, illegally attracting and capturing a white shark and the illegal mechanized deployment of bait.
Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, Shark Center, sign and shark head, Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. (Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Massachusetts regulations prohibit shore-based shark fishing with equipment designed to lure and capture large fish, including great white sharks, in most waters around Cape Cod. Officials say the rules are intended in part to prevent prohibited species from being intentionally drawn closer to shore.
The Massachusetts Environmental Police led the investigation, with assistance from Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office, Wellfleet police and shark expert Dr. Greg Skomal of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.
AFTER GREAT WHITE SHARK ATTACK, AUSTRALIA DOUBLES DOWN ON DRONE SHARK PATROLS
The court set Stefanou’s bail at $10,000 and ordered him to surrender his fishing license. He was also prohibited from fishing, boating or operating drones in Massachusetts waters.
A Great White Shark swims by the research vessels off the coast of Chatham, Massachusetts, on October 21, 2022. (Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
As part of his release conditions, Stefanou must remove videos related to the allegations from social media, refrain from posting additional videos or advertising fishing activities in Massachusetts waters and stay out of Massachusetts except for lawful purposes.
Stefanou is due back in Barnstable Superior Court on Dec. 11.
The Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office emphasized that all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.