Christopher Stefanou, 30, faces charges including cruelty to animals, fishing for shark, mechanically deploying bait, attempting to capture a shark and possessing a protected shark species, according to the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office. Bail was set at $10,000. As conditions of his release, Stefanou must surrender his fishing license, remove existing video of the incident from social media and stay out of Massachusetts, among other requirements. He is due back in court Dec. 11.

Prosecutors allege that in October 2025, Stefanou and a New York-based crew spent several days on Cape Cod’s eastern shore with a European client, seeking to capture a great white shark. The shark they caught was known as “Aaron the Shark,” a tagged animal monitored by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

Authorities said they became aware of the alleged activity after Stefanou posted video online. The footage showed crew members using equipment that prosecutors say was prohibited, including a drone, to catch the shark and pull it onto the beach. The group then celebrated and took photographs with the animal before releasing it, authorities said.

Massachusetts regulations generally bar shore-based shark fishing with gear designed to lure and catch large fish, including white sharks, in most waters around Cape Cod. The rules are intended in part to prevent practices that draw these animals closer to shore, where they can pose risks to the public, prosecutors said.

The charges are allegations; Stefanou has not been convicted.