In the latest twist in a legal saga that has lasted nearly six years, an Orange County federal judge on Tuesday granted bail to the accused founder of a violent white supremacist group — but the order won’t take effect for at least four days. Review by High Court.
During a hearing that lasted more than an hour, U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney questioned the government’s use of resources on the case before granting bail to Robert Rundo, who spent nearly a year as a fugitive until he was extradited from Romania last year. Face charges of conspiracy and rioting.
Carney has twice dismissed the government’s case against Rundo and other members of the now-defunct white supremacist group known as the Rise Above Movement, or RAM. The judge said that Rundo and others were being selectively prosecuted, while “far-left extremist groups” were not.
“I understand international, dangerous people, and with all due respect to Mr. Rundo, he was an idiot who was misguided,” Carney said Tuesday. “This is not the crime of the century. “I have no evidence that anyone was seriously hurt, even Antifa, let alone innocent civilians.”
After Carney dismissed the allegations against Rundo. in February, Rundo was released for a short time over the objections of prosecutors, who appealed the decision. Rundo was later taken back into custody in San Diego County.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later ruled that any future district court decision to release Rundo would be automatically stayed for at least four days.
In a written order Tuesday, Carney called prosecutors’ conduct in the case “deeply troubling” and said the government “has no regard for the Constitution.”
“We are prosecuting individuals associated with an extremist white-supremacist organization,” U.S. Atty. Martin Estrada said in a statement after the hearing. “As federal prosecutors, we do everything we can to protect our community, and we do so ethically and consistent with the Constitution.”
Assisted in the court. US Atty. Solomon Kim described Rundo, dressed in a white prison uniform, as “an international fugitive who has systematically and repeatedly evaded law enforcement for years.” He said Rundo traveled to at least seven countries, booked more than a dozen flights and adopted different aliases as part of that effort.
In a written opposition to Rundo’s bail request, prosecutors described him as “dangerous and violent”, citing a 2010 case where Rundo was sentenced to two years in prison for repeatedly stabbing a man.
“No matter what this court or defense counsel believe about whether the defendant was selectively prosecuted, it does not change the fact of the defendant’s flight and the danger he poses to the community,” Kim said. Is.”
Inside Rundo’s home in Huntington Beach, which he shared with a fellow Nazi-sympathizer, prosecutors said, he found “drawings of swastikas and a Nazi eagle ornament” in his bedroom and “a frame of Adolf Hitler in the living room.” Nazi paraphernalia, including a “made up picture”. room.”
The case against Rundo dates back to 2018, when he and three others were charged with violating federal conspiracy and riot laws related to their activities with the Rise Above movement. A federal indictment alleged that Rundo and other defendants recruited new members to the organization, coordinated training in hand-to-hand combat, and traveled to political rallies to attack protesters at events across the state.
The indictment alleged that members participated in the attacks at political rallies in Huntington Beach on March 25, 2017; in Berkeley on April 15, 2017; and in San Bernardino on June 10, 2017. After this, they reportedly trained for future incidents and celebrated by posting photos online of RAM members attacking people.
Rundo was also accused of organizing violent confrontations and attacking protesters and police officers. According to arrest warrants, after Rundo was ordered by police to stop attacking a “defenseless individual” during the Berkeley protests, he allegedly punched an officer twice in the head.
In his written order, Carney said that Rundo and the other defendants “were not a real threat to democracy at the rallies,” instead blaming the anti-fascist movement known as “Antifa.”
“Antifa, not Mr. Rundo and his co-defendants, went to the rallies to insult, pepper spray, assault, and injure rally attendees,” Carney wrote. “Mr. Rundo and his co-defendants’ express purpose for attending the rallies, on the other hand, was to battle Antifa and to prevent Antifa from hurting attendees.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Carney questioned whether Kim believed he could “get 12 people in Orange County to unanimously agree that Mr. Rundo and three others conspired to commit violence against innocent counter-protesters.” “
“We do,” Kim said.
“I’ve been doing this — lawyer and judge — for 36 years and my understanding is the people of Orange County don’t like Antifa disrespecting disabled veterans, they don’t like disrespecting our flag, they don’t like middle-aged women. But they don’t like to be pepper sprayed, they’re just arguing about what they believe in,” Carney said. “I think you’re going to have a problem.”
