A federal grand jury has indicted Jonathan Rinderknecht, who is suspected of starting a fire that led to the destructive Palisades wildfire that killed 12. Two additional felony charges were also added to his case, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

Rinderknecht, 29, was initially charged with destruction of property by means of fire, but now also faces two additional felony charges, one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and one count of timber set afire.

If convicted, he faces five to 45 years in federal prison. He has been in federal custody since his Oct. 7 arrest. He is suspected of starting the Lachman fire on Jan. 1, which authorities believe was a “holdover fire” that burned underground for days and became the Palisades fi

See Full Page