By Steve Gorman
LOS ANGELES, June 10 (Reuters) - Opening statements were set to begin on Wednesday in the federal arson trial of a former Uber driver charged with deliberately setting a blaze that grew into one of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires on record in Los Angeles.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, was indicted last October on one felony count each of destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and illegal burning of timber on public lands.
He is accused of "maliciously" starting a fire in January 2025 that was quickly suppressed but continued to smolder under dense vegetation before re-igniting a week later.
Fierce winds then whipped it into a conflagration that killed 12 people and laid waste to the seaside enclave of Pacific Palisades, leading to about $150 billion in property damage.
He pleaded not guilty but has remained in custody since his arrest in Florida, about two weeks before his indictment.
If convicted on all three counts, he would face at least five years in prison, and up to 45 years behind bars, the U.S. Justice Department says.
Prosecutors and defense lawyers were expected to begin presenting their case on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles after Tuesday's completion of jury selection.
According to prosecutors, Rinderknecht kindled the fire a few minutes after midnight on New Year's Day near a hiking trail in the mountains near Pacific Palisades, overlooking the ocean adjacent to Santa Monica, after finishing an Uber shift.
Los Angeles firefighters believed they had swiftly extinguished the blaze, known as the Lachman Fire. But it erupted again on January 7 and grew swiftly into the devastating Palisades Fire, federal investigators say.
Driven by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds, the flames scorched more than 23,000 acres (9,300 hectares) and destroyed some 6,000 structures.
It coincided with another catastrophic wildfire northeast of Los Angeles known as the Eaton fire, which killed 19 people and ravaged the community of Altadena.
MANGIONE ADMIRER, OR FIREFIGHTING SCAPEGOAT
Federal prosecutors have said Rinderknecht appeared to harbor a resentment of the wealthy.
A pre-trial memorandum alleged he was closely tracking news of Luigi Mangione, charged with murdering the CEO of insurance giant UnitedHealthcare and admired in some extreme left-wing circles as a working-class folk hero.
The memo also said Rinderknecht was "deeply agitated" over a fraying romantic relationship.
Court documents and public statements by Rinderknecht's lawyers suggested that at least part of his defense would hinge on the argument that he was being scapegoated for failures of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
A onetime Pacific Palisades resident, Rinderknecht professed his innocence in a court declaration in March, denying that he wilfully started any fire.
He acknowledged seeing flames erupt from the vantage point of a hilltop he had climbed to watch New Year's Eve fireworks after dropping off his Uber passenger.
He said he called the 911 emergency number to report the blaze, and stayed on the scene until after firefighters arrived and offered to help them.
But according to a criminal complaint filed in the case, cellphone data showed that no one besides Rinderknecht was in the area where the Lachman Fire started.
WATCHING FROM 'BUDDHA HILL'
Court documents showed that while perched on "Buddha Hill," Rinderknecht listened to a rap song whose music video depicted things being set on fire.
He then proceeded to light a real blaze and fled the scene, only to return a short time later to watch the flames and the firefighters.
During his 911 call, according to the complaint, Rinderknecht typed a question into the AI app ChatGPT asking, "Are you at fault if a fire is lift (sic) because of your cigarettes." ChatGPT's response was, "Yes," the complaint said.
Federal investigators concluded the blaze was probably started by someone using a lighter to burn combustible material such as vegetation or paper.
In seeking bail for his client at a hearing last October, defense lawyer Steve Haney said Rinderknecht was essentially being charged with arson allegedly committed seven days before a much larger fire for which he is being prosecuted.
"So why are they blaming him for whatever the fire department didn't do?" Haney asked rhetorically, adding that the defense was not conceding prosecutors' assertion that one fire was a continuation of another.
At the time Haney said his client had no prior criminal record and no documented history of mental illness.
Prosecutors said in court filings that Rinderknecht was motivated by anger against the rich, saying he followed Mangione news on Google using such search terms as "Let's take down all the billionaires," and ranted to various Uber passengers about the December 2024 shooting death.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
