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Huntington Beach White Nationalist Extradited From Romania To Face Federal Charges
An unidentified supporter of then-President Donald Trump marches during a rally in Huntington Beach on March 25, 2017. Federal prosecutors have extradited Robert Paul Rundo, 33, of Huntington Beach, from Romania. He faces charges tied to this rally and others.
(
Mark Ralston
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AFP via Getty Images
)
A white nationalist from Huntington Beach charged with inciting violence at political rallies across California was extradited from Romania by federal agents Tuesday, according to the Justice Department.
Robert Paul Rundo, 33, is alleged to be a founding member of the Rise Above Movement, or RAM, a white supremacist organization that represented itself “as a combat-ready, militant group of a new nationalist white supremacy and identity movement,” according to a federal indictment. He is charged with conspiracy to violate the Anti-Riot Act and rioting.
Rundo pleaded not guilty to the charges during an arraignment hearing Wednesday. He was ordered held without bail.
About the charges
The indictment states Rundo was involved in violent attacks during political rallies in Huntington Beach, Berkeley and San Bernardino in 2017.
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Among the allegations
The indictment alleges:
- After the Huntington Beach rally — organized to show support for then-President Trump — one of Rundo’s co–defendants, Robert Bowman, posted a link to an article on The Daily Stormer on his Facebook account. The article was titled “Trumpenkriegers Physically Remove Antifa Homos in Huntington Beach,” along with the comment, “We did it fam.” [The Daily Stormer is a white supremacist, neo-Nazi publication that advocates for a second genocide of Jews.]
- Rundo sent a Twitter message to someone who had proposed interviewing RAM leaders on a podcast, and stated, “Maybe if there [is] enough time could mention [Berkeley] how we were the first guys to jump over the barrier and engage and how that had a huge impact.”
- According to the indictment, the defendants participated in the conspiracy in varying ways, including by engaging in recruitment of RAM members, coordinating and participating in hand-to-hand and other combat training, and publishing photographs and videos of violent acts to recruit other members for future events.
What we know about Rundo and RAM
Rundo was featured in an NPR story last month that examined one strand of the white nationalist movement known as “active clubs.” NPR reported these clubs emphasize mixed martial arts training to prepare for violence.
RAM’s activities date back to 2009 and continued until 2018, according to the indictment, with Rundo, Bowman, 30, and a third co-defendant Tyler Laube, 27, posting “depictions of RAM members engaging in violence at organized events,” according to the indictment.
RAM members at one point traveled overseas.
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“On or about April 18, 2018, defendant Rundo and other RAM members traveled to Germany, Ukraine, and Italy, where they engaged in combat training with members of European white supremacist organizations,” the indictment states.
What’s next
Rundo was initially indicted and arrested in 2018. A federal judge dismissed the charges in 2019, saying the Anti-Riot Act was overly broad. An appeals court overturned that decision and the charges were reinstated in 2021, according to Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles.
McEvoy said Rundo could not say why he was in Romania.
Read the indictment
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
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