California white supremacist group leader sentenced to two years in prison

LOS ANGELES — A prominent figure of a white supremacist group in Southern California was handed a two-year federal prison sentence on Friday for inciting violence during political rallies in California back in 2017.

Robert Paul Rundo, aged 34, entered a guilty plea in September for one count of conspiracy to breach the federal Anti-Riot Act, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles.

U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada stated, “Hate and violence are contradictory to the principles that define America and disrupt our communities. It is vital that we defend our community’s civil and constitutional rights against those who foster division.”

Rundo’s legal representative did not provide an immediate response to inquiries for comment via email.

According to prosecutors, Rundo co-founded the Rise Above Movement, which is characterized as “a militant, combat-ready faction within a new nationalist white supremacy and identity movement.” Alongside two other individuals, he was charged with planning and executing violent acts during events held in Huntington Beach, Berkeley, and San Bernardino in 2017.

In 2018, Rundo faced arrest for inciting violence at protests in California, as well as for his involvement in a deadly riot that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia. Although a federal court dismissed the charges in 2019, they were later reinstated by a federal appeals court in 2021.

After the initial dismissal of the charges, Rundo left the United States but was extradited last year from Romania following the reactivation of the charges against him.