Overview

• Rinderknecht, 29, was charged with destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and timber set afire.
• Prosecutors allege he ignited the Jan. 1 Lachman Fire that smoldered underground as a holdover and surfaced on Jan. 7 as the Palisades Fire.
• Evidence cited includes cellphone geolocation placing him about 30 feet from the origin, witness statements, surveillance video, fire-pattern analysis, and a recovered lighter.
• Digital artifacts listed in court filings include a ChatGPT query about fire liability and AI-generated images depicting flames, which prosecutors say form part of the evidentiary record.
• He remains in federal custody after his Oct. 7 arrest, faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 45 years in prison if convicted, and is expected to be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.