Federal grand jury indicts man accused of starting Palisades Fire

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is charged in the three-count indictment with one count of destruction of property by means of fire, one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and one count of timber set afire, according to a release from the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

Rinderknecht, a former resident of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, has been in federal custody since his arrest on Oct. 7.

He reportedly started a small fire on New Year’s Day that smoldered underground and later reignited, spreading through Pacific Palisades, home to many wealthy Los Angeles residents.

The small blaze rekindled a week later into the Palisades Fire, killing 12 people and destroying 6,837 structures, most of them homes.

If convicted, he would face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 45 years in federal prison.

His next court appearance, an arraignment, is scheduled to take place in the coming weeks at the US District Court in downtown Los Angeles.