A Korean American judge and prosecutor are helping lead the federal trial of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the worst wildfires in Los Angeles history.
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California began jury selection on June 8 in the trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht, who has been charged in connection with the devastating wildfire.
The Korea Daily confirmed that U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang is presiding over the case. Danbee Kim is also among the four federal prosecutors representing the government.
Hwang was nominated by then-President Joe Biden in April 2024 and formally appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in December of that year.
Before joining the federal bench, Hwang served as a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge and a federal public defender.
Kim graduated from Columbia Law School and began her legal career in 2015 as a prosecutor with the New York County District Attorney’s Office.
She became a federal prosecutor in 2020, serving in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California before joining the Central District of California.
Rinderknecht is accused of setting the Lachman Fire on Jan. 1, 2025. Prosecutors allege the blaze later reignited amid strong winds and dry conditions, eventually spreading into the massive Palisades Fire.
Federal prosecutors charged him with three felony counts: destruction of property by fire, arson of commercial property and setting fire to federal forest land.
If convicted by a jury, Rinderknecht could face a prison sentence ranging from five to 45 years.
Rinderknecht, who worked as an Uber driver, lived in Pacific Palisades at the time of the fire.
Authorities said he moved to Florida shortly after the blaze in what prosecutors described as an attempt to flee. He was arrested by investigators in October 2025.
The trial is expected to draw significant attention because of the scale of the Palisades Fire and the involvement of prominent Korean American legal professionals in the proceedings.
