The man accused of intentionally igniting the devastating Palisades fire, which killed a dozen people, has been indicted on three felony charges and faces the prospect of up to 45 years in prison, authorities said.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was arrested Oct. 7 and charged with destruction of property by means of fire for allegedly starting a blaze in Temescal Canyon on New Year’s Day that went on to become one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history.
On Wednesday, Rinderknecht was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with two additional felonies — one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and one count of timber set afire, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Rinderknecht is the son of Christian missionaries and a former resident of Pacific Palisades who was living in Florida at the time of his arrest. He is scheduled to be arraigned in the coming weeks.
If convicted as charged, he faces a federal prison sentence ranging from a mandatory minimum of five years to a statutory maximum of 45 years, prosecutors said.
Law enforcement determined that the Palisades fires was a continuation of a small blaze called the Lachman fire, which firefighters suppressed on Jan. 1 but continued to smolder within the root structure of dense vegetation before reigniting amid fierce Santa Ana winds on Jan. 7.
Prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht maliciously started the Lachman fire near Skull Rock Trailhead around midnight on New Year’s Day after working a shift as an Uber driver. Law enforcement used witness statements, video surveillance, cellphone data, and analysis of fire dynamics and patterns at the scene to determine that Rinderknecht was responsible for the blaze, prosecutors said.
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