Former Orange County Resident Linked to White Supremacist Group Pleads Guilty to Plotting and Engaging in Violence at Political Rallies

LOS ANGELES - A former resident of Huntington Beach who has been linked to a white supremacy extremist group pleaded guilty today to planning and engaging in riots at political rallies across California.

Robert Paul Rundo, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the federal Anti-Riot Act.

"This defendant sought to incite riots to promote a white-supremacist agenda and impede the constitutional rights of others," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. "Safeguarding civil rights goes to the core of my office's mission and we will continue to unite with our community against those who promote hate and divisiveness."

"Mr. Rundo's cowardly and unprovoked acts of violence were unjustly carried out upon his victims, leaving those who were victimized, their families, and our community torn by hate," said Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Office. "The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to ensure that if a crime is motivated by bias, it will be investigated, and the perpetrators held responsible for their actions. We encourage everyone to report such crimes to the FBI."

According to his plea agreement, between March 2017 and May 2018, Rundo and others participated in an organization that ultimately was rebranded as the "Rise Above Movement" (RAM). RAM representing itself as a fighting group of a new nationalist and white supremacy identity movement. As part of their membership in RAM, Rundo and others attended rallies with the intent to provoke and engage in violence.

To prepare for violent physical conflicts, Rundo and others held hand-to-hand and other fighting training sessions, which they organized through telephone calls, social media, and text messages. Rundo organized and attended several such training sessions in 2017. On various social media platforms, Rundo and others posted messages and photographs of themselves preparing for or engaging in violence, accompanied by statements such as "#rightwingdeathsquad."

In March 2017, Rundo and other RAM members held a training in San Clemente to prepare to engage in violence at political events, including a rally on March 25, 2017, in Huntington Beach. At the Huntington Beach rally, Rundo and other RAM members pursued and assaulted other persons, including one protestor whom Rundo tackled and punched multiple times. Following the event, Rundo and his co-conspirators posted online photographs and videos celebrating the assaults they had committed.

Rundo also helped organize training for RAM members in anticipation of a rally scheduled to occur on April 15, 2017, in Berkeley. At the Berkeley rally, there were several violent clashes throughout the day. In one such instance, Rundo and several of his co-conspirators crossed a police barrier erected to separate opposing groups. They then punched and kicked several people. Following the event, Rundo and his co-conspirators again posted online photographs and videos celebrating the assaults they had committed.

On June 10, 2017, Rundo and others attended a rally in San Bernardino, at which they confronted and pursued protesters.

In the months following these events, Rundo and his accomplices continued to publicly celebrate their assaults, including through online posts with photos and videos of RAM members assaulting people.

United States District Judge Josephine L. Staton scheduled a December 13 sentencing hearing, at which time Rundo will face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

Two other defendants have been charged in this case:

• Robert Boman, 31, of Torrance, who is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Anti-Riot Act and one count of rioting; and
• Tyler Laube, 28, of Redondo Beach, who pleaded guilty in October 2023 to one count of interfering with a federally protected right and later was fined $2,000 and sentenced to time already served in custody.

The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated this case.

Assistant United States Attorneys Kathrynne N. Seiden and Anna P. Boylan of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.

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