The Uber driver accused of setting the blaze that became the Palisades Fire is facing three additional charges, including two felonies, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was charged with destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and timber set afire, the DOJ said in a news release.

These new charges join the previous allegation of destruction of property by means of fire and raise his possible maximum sentence, if convicted, from 20 to 45 years.

The charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison.

Authorities say Rinderknecht set a fire in the early hours of New Year's Day 2025.

That blaze, the Lachman Fire, continued to burn underground until the heavy winds o

See Full Page