LOS ANGELES (CNS) – A reputed founder of a violent Southern California white supremacist organization accused of inciting brawls at political rallies across the state pleaded guilty Friday in downtown Los Angeles to a federal charge.
Robert Rundo, 34, of Huntington Beach entered his plea to one count of conspiracy to violate the federal Anti-Riot Act. Sentencing was set for Dec. 13.
Rundo’s guilty plea comes months after a unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a federal criminal indictment against him and another suspected member of the organization.
Rundo was extradited from Romania last year after spending nearly a year on the run. As part of his plea, federal prosecutors agreed to recommend no more than two years behind bars. Rundo has already spent almost two years in prison, court papers show.
Prosecutors say Rundo is a founding member of the now-defunct South Bay organization that represented itself “as a combat-ready, militant group of a new nationalist white supremacy and identity movement,” according to the indictment.