LOS ANGELES
A former resident of Huntington Beach who has been linked to a white supremacy extremist group pleaded guilty Friday to planning and engaging in riots at political rallies across California, officials stated.
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 U.S. 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, Robert Rundo and others were involved in an organization between March 2017 and May 2018, later known as the “Rise Above Movement” (RAM). RAM positioned itself as a nationalist and white supremacist fighting group.
As members, Rundo and others attended rallies intending to provoke and engage in violence.
Rundo organized and participated in hand-to-hand combat training sessions to prepare for these confrontations, coordinating them through phone calls, social media, and text messages.
Several such sessions took place in 2017.
Rundo and RAM members shared posts and photos on social media showing their violent preparations and actions, using hashtags like “#rightwingdeathsquad.”
In March 2017, Rundo and other RAM members held a training session in San Clemente to prepare for violence at political events, including a rally on March 25, 2017, in Huntington Beach.
During that rally, Rundo and others attacked protesters, including one person Rundo tackled and repeatedly punched. They later posted photos and videos online, celebrating the assaults.
Rundo also helped organize training for an April 15, 2017, rally in Berkeley, where multiple violent clashes occurred.
In one incident, Rundo and his co-conspirators crossed a police barrier and assaulted several individuals. Again, they posted online about the violence afterward.
On June 10, 2017, Rundo and others attended a rally in San Bernardino, where they confronted and chased protesters.
Over the following months, Rundo and his accomplices continued to publicly celebrate these assaults through social media posts with photos and videos.
U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton has scheduled Rundo’s sentencing hearing for Dec. 13. He faces up to 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.