By Steve Gorman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -The man arrested on suspicion of deliberately setting the blaze that would spark one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history was indicted on three arson-related charges on Wednesday, adding two felonies to the criminal case he already faced in federal court.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is accused of “maliciously” starting a fire on January 1 that was quickly suppressed but continued to smolder beneath dense vegetation before reigniting a week later amid fierce winds, exploding into a major conflagration that killed 12 people and laid waste to the wealthy seaside enclave of Pacific Palisades.
Rinderknecht was arrested earlier this month in Florida and initially charged by federal prosecutors in a criminal complaint with one count of destruction of property by means of fire, an offense punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.
A federal grand jury in Los Angeles on Wednesday returned a three-count indictment charging Rinderknecht with the destruction of property count and two additional felonies – one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and one count of timber set afire.
If convicted as charged, he would face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 45 years behind bars, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Rinderknecht, who remains jailed without bond, is expected to enter a plea at his arraignment, which will likely occur in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks, the DOJ said.
Bringing an indictment spares federal prosecutors the procedural requirement of presenting their case to a judge in a preliminary hearing in order to show they have sufficient evidence establishing probable cause to proceed to trial.
The Palisades fire was among the most devastating on record in Los Angeles, destroying some 6,000 structures and causing $150 billion in property damage, while coinciding with another massive wind-driven blaze about 35 miles (56.3 km) to the east known as the Eaton Fire that wiped out much of the community of Altadena.
According to prosecutors, Rinderknecht had been working as an Uber driver on New Year’s Eve before dropping a passenger off and heading to a hilltop trail near Pacific Palisades, where he once lived. Once there, according to court documents, he listened to a rap song whose music video depicted things being set on fire, then proceeded to set a real blaze shortly after midnight and fled the scene, only to return a short time later to watch the flames and firefighters.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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