Topline:
Robert Paul Rundo was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison Friday for working with others to escalate political rallies into violence in 2017. He was freed after the sentencing, having already spent two years in federal custody.
The charge: Rundo, a member of the Southern California-based white supremacist group Rise Above Movement, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the federal Riot Act in September. Rundo was released Friday, Dec. 13 on time served, according to the Department of Justice.
The overview: Rundo trained with other members of his extremist group in hand-to-hand combat with the purpose of escalating political rallies into violence, tackling and punching protesters, according to prosecutors. Federal investigators also found he posted statements with hashtags such as "#rightwingdeathsquad."
The details: Rundo was prosecuted in conjunction with three rallies held in 2017. The first was in Huntington Beach in March, the next in Berkeley in April, and the third in San Bernardino in June. During the investigation, Rundo fled the country and became an international fugitive, according to the Department of Justice. He was extradited from Romania to face federal charges.
The backstory: District Judge Cormac J. Carney, now retired, had dismissed the charges against Rundo and his associates earlier this year, saying that they were being treated unequally since members of “Antifa and far-left groups” were not similarly prosecuted. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed that ruling in July after finding the district judge’s claims lacked supporting evidence, opening Rundo up to prosecution.
Other cases: Two of Rundo’s alleged associates, Robert Boman of Torrance and Tyler Laube of Redondo Beach, have been charged in relation to the case. Laube pleaded guilty to the charge, while Boman pleaded not guilty and has a trial date next year.