A federal grand jury has indicted the man accused of starting the fire that later became the tragic wildfire that decimated the Pacific Palisades region of Los Angeles earlier this year, the Justice Department reported Wednesday.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was charged in a three-count indictment with one offense of fire-related property destruction, one count of arson affecting interstate commerce property, and one count of timber set afire.
He now faces a maximum of 45 years in federal prison.
The indictment includes two further accusations. When Rinderknecht was apprehended, police stated that the maximum sentence he faced was 20 years in prison.
Rinderknecht, a former Los Angeles resident now living in Florida, was arrested on October 7, several months after the Palisades Fire destroyed neighborhoods in Los Angeles County, killing 12 people.
According to federal prosecutors, Rinderknecht, who was driving for Uber at the time, started a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades on Jan. 1.
Despite being extinguished by fire crews, the fire smoldered until it reappeared about a week later under high winds in the Los Angeles area, eventually becoming the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in the city’s history, according to officials.
According to the criminal complaint, Rinderknecht started the fire by lighting a flammable object, such as vegetation or paper, with an open flame, most likely with a lighter.
Authorities haven’t stated a motive, but during a news conference following Rinderknecht’s arrest, acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli cited digital evidence included in the complaint of an image Rinderknecht allegedly created in July 2024 using ChatGPT, which showed “a burning forest and a crowd fleeing from it.”
Rinderknecht is scheduled to appear for arraignment in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles in the coming weeks, according to federal authorities.
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