Reputed founder of white supremacist group extradited from Romania on riot charges

Also: Lead Defendant in Federal Case Charging White Supremacist Group with Violence at Political Rallies Extradited from Romania (U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California)

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Source: Los Angeles Times

Reputed founder of white supremacist group extradited from Romania on riot charges

BY SALVADOR HERNANDEZ STAFF WRITER
AUG. 2, 2023 10:30 AM PT

A founding member of a violent white supremacist group accused of training and encouraging members to attack people at political rallies across California has been extradited from Romania to face federal charges, the Justice Department said.

Robert Paul Rundo, a 33-year-old resident of Huntington Beach, arrived Tuesday escorted by FBI agents at Hollywood Burbank airport and faces federal charges of conspiracy to violate the Anti-Riot Act, and rioting.

Rundo is alleged to be a founding member of Rise Above Movement, or RAM, a white supremacist group that according to federal officials touted to be a “combat-ready, militant group of a new nationalist white supremacy and identity movement.”

The federal indictment against Rundo alleges he and other defendants recruited new members to the organization, coordinated training in hand-to-hand combat, and traveled to political rallies to attack protesters at events across California.

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Read more: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-08-02/huntington-beach-founder-of-white-supremacist-group-extradited-from-romania-on-riot-charges

Non-paywalled link: https://news.yahoo.com/huntington-beach-founder-white-supremacist-173031615.html

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Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California

Lead Defendant in Federal Case Charging White Supremacist Group with Violence at Political Rallies Extradited from Romania

Wednesday, August 2, 2023
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California

LOS ANGELES – The lead defendant in an indictment that charges three Southern California men linked to a white supremacy extremist group with planning and engaging in riots at political rallies across California has been extradited to the United States from Romania, the Justice Department announced today.

Robert Paul Rundo, 33, of Huntington Beach, allegedly a founding member of the Rise Above Movement (RAM), was transported by special agents with the FBI from Romania to Hollywood Burbank Airport, where he arrived Tuesday evening. Rundo is in federal custody and is expected to make his initial appearance and be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles.

Rundo, along with two other defendants, is charged with conspiracy to violate the Anti-Riot Act for his activities in connection with RAM, a white supremacist organization that represented itself “publicly…as a combat-ready, militant group of a new nationalist white supremacy and identity movement,” according to a federal grand jury indictment.

In addition to the conspiracy charge, Rundo also is charged with one count of rioting.

The other defendants charged in this case are:

• Robert Boman, 30, of Torrance; and
• Tyler Laube, 27, of Redondo Beach.

Boman and Laube are charged with conspiracy to violate the Anti-Riot Act. Boman also is charged with one count of rioting.

The trial date in this matter is scheduled for December 12.

According to the indictment, the defendants participated in the conspiracy in varying ways, including by engaging in recruitment of RAM members, coordinating and participating in hand-to-hand and other combat training, traveling to political rallies to attack protesters and other persons, and publishing photographs and videos of violent acts to recruit other members for future events.

The indictment alleges that various members of the conspiracy directly participated in attacks at political rallies in Huntington Beach on March 25, 2017; in Berkeley on April 15, 2017; and in San Bernardino on June 10, 2017. In the months following these events, the defendants allegedly trained for future events and celebrated their assaults, which included online posts with photos of RAM members assaulting people.

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Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/lead-defendant-federal-case-charging-white-supremacist-group-violence-political