A former leader of a white supremacist group is set to be released from prison after serving time for his role in violent political rallies across California. Robert Paul Rundo, 34, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison but is being released for time already served. His sentencing took place on Friday in Los Angeles, overseen by U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama.
Rundo pleaded guilty in September to conspiring to violate the federal Anti-Riot Act. Speaking to the court, he claimed to have changed his ways. “I thought I could play vigilante, but the views I held at 26 have changed,” he said, according to The Guardian. Now 34, he vowed to embrace nonviolence and reflect before acting. “This process has taken nearly a decade of my life, and it’s a strong reminder to think before I speak and act,” Rundo added.
Despite his release order, as of Friday night, Rundo was still in custody, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Rundo and three other members of a now-disbanded white supremacist group called the Rise Above Movement (RAM) were accused of inciting violence at rallies in Huntington Beach, Berkeley, and San Bernardino back in 2017.
Prosecutors revealed that the group held combat training sessions and shared photos on social media with hashtags like #rightwingdeathsquad. At one rally in Huntington Beach, Rundo tackled and punched a protester. In Berkeley, he and his group kicked and punched multiple people. In San Bernardino, they chased down protesters.
The case has been full of legal twists and turns. In 2019, a federal judge dismissed the charges, ruling that the Anti-Riot Act violated free speech. The judge, Cormac J. Carney, said that while Rundo’s views were offensive, prosecuting him under anti-riot laws seemed unfair. Carney even pointed fingers at the far-left group Antifa, suggesting they were the bigger threat to democracy at these rallies.
But in 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reinstated the charges. Authorities eventually tracked Rundo to Bucharest, Romania, where he was working out at a gym. He was extradited to the U.S. in 2023 to face trial.
The back-and-forth continued this year when Carney dismissed the charges again, arguing that the government was being selective in its prosecution by targeting Rundo and RAM while ignoring violent actions by Antifa. Carney emphasized that Antifa often instigated violence at rallies.
However, in July, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Carney’s decision. Judge Milan D. Smith Jr. stated that Rundo and his group acted more like leaders of a criminal organization. They trained for violence, recruited members, and coordinated their activities, which set them apart from the sporadic violence committed by individuals associated with Antifa.
This latest ruling upheld the charges against Rundo, leading to his sentencing. While Rundo insists he’s now committed to nonviolence, his release marks the end of a long and controversial legal saga.
