The founder of a neo-Nazi network that has proliferated rapidly around the world in recent years has been sentenced in a U.S. federal court to two years in prison and two years of supervised release, ending a seven-year legal battle and prompting observers to was perplexed. Farthest right.
Robert Landau, neo-Nazi founder, 34 years old “Active Club” Networkpled guilty in September to conspiring to riot at a series of political rallies in California in 2017.
At the time of the gathering, Landau was the leader. Rise Above Movement (Ram)a neo-Nazi gang whose members were trained in martial arts to indoctrinate their members with fascist ideology and attack political opponents.
The ruling reflects an agreement between federal prosecutors and Mr. Landau's public defender to resolve the case without a trial. U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton took into account a total of 725 days that Rand had served in various stages of custody in the custody of U.S., El Salvador, Serbian, and Romanian authorities.
As part of his release, Landau will be prohibited from associating with other Ram members and will be subject to extensive electronic monitoring of his electronic devices and internet activity (including all communications and cloud accounts) by probation officers.
federal prosecutor Rand indicted in 2018 He was charged with anti-riot charges stemming from fighting anti-fascist and left-wing protests in Huntington Beach, San Bernardino and Berkeley. U.S. District Court Judge Cormac Carney those charges were droppedargued that the Riot Prevention Act was unconstitutional. 9th circuit panel reversed Carney will be sentenced in 2021, and Rand will be extradited from Romania to stand trial in 2023. But earlier this year, Mr. Carney dropped the charges again, this time claiming that prosecutors selectively targeted Mr. Landau. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals turned over That verdict too. Mr. Rand was rearrested and pleaded guilty in September.
Prosecutors stated in their sentencing memo: said In recent years, while overseas, Rand attempted to evade arrest by living behind a false identity and traveled extensively in Eastern Europe promoting “extremist extremism,” according to the complaint.
Since being indicted in 2018, Landau has set up an international network of lamb clones that has spread across North America, Europe, Australia and even South America. his own social media channelsextremism researcher; media coverage. Known as “active clubs,” these groups typically consist of anywhere from a few to a dozen young people who go hiking, train in martial arts, lift weights, and develop friendships.
The group has been involved in political blackmail and violenceboth within the United States and abroad. Most notably, they took part in an attack on an asylum-seeker reception center in a village near the western French city of Nantes in 2023, according to French researchers and reporters.
Over the years, Rundo also strong bond Collaborating with foreign neo-Nazi extremists, which served as the basis on which he built his active club network. According to submitted text conversations, when Landau fled the U.S. in 2018 after the FBI searched his home, Denis Kapustin, a Russian-German former soccer hooligan and well-known neo-Nazi, approached law enforcement in real time. He gave advice on how to escape. Submitted as evidence by federal prosecutors.
“The Azovs are willing to cooperate. If necessary, we will take this entire topic on the Internet,” Kapustin said, referring to the notorious figure. Ukrainian far-right militia. “If there's a problem here at the airport, we'll take care of it. But the chances of that happening are very slim…We've staffed border security anyway.”
Landor also maintains active club relationships in the United States. Right-wing extremists in Southern California have shown full support for Landau. Local active clubs, many of them veterans, including the now-defunct Clockwork Crew, have been posting graffiti for years in support of their comrades. Gray Mayfield and Robert Weldon, core members of the Southern California Active Club, were with Rand when he was last arrested by the FBI this spring, and both spoke out at his bail hearing in April. He also testified.
What Lund had asked The judge sentenced him to prison, arguing that the cumulative two years he had already spent in U.S. and foreign prisons was sufficient punishment. His lawyers also cited as evidence the harsh and lethal conditions in his detention in Serbia and Romania, as well as the government's cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies to monitor him during his years on the run. “Mr. Rand has already been punished in unique ways that go far beyond the legal limits.'' The actual time he spent in federal custody. ”
The government had asked the judge to sentence him to two years in prison.
He wears a white jumpsuit with shackles around his ankles and a gray undershirt that covers his legs. black sun Rand, who has a tattoo on his right elbow, told the judge Friday that he regrets his actions from about 10 years ago. “I found a community within the alt-right scene, so, foolishly, I thought I could play vigilante,” said Landau, who founded Rum and engaged in violent confrontations with anti-fascists. He talked about his decision to train for the “The mindset I had when I was 26 has changed. I'm 34 now, and I intend to continue on the path of nonviolence.” Landau plans to move to Florida to care for his mother. he said.
“This process took nearly 10 years of my life,” Rand said. “This is a powerful reminder to think before you speak and think before you act.”
A representative for Mr. Lund did not respond to questions.
Judge Staton appeared to accept Rand's statement in court that he no longer embraced far-right ideology and would pursue a path of nonviolence. “He should be given the benefit of the doubt,” she said.
“Good luck, Mr. Rand,” she told the defendant. “I hope I don’t see you again during my two years of supervised release.
Rand is expected to be released later today.
Hannah Geiss, a senior research analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center, said before the sentencing that the government's insistence on a prison sentence for Rand demonstrates not only the seriousness of his case but also the need for a deterrent effect. He said he believed that.
“Keeping Mr. Lund locked up without a prison term is a way of showing that the authorities take this case very seriously. We are talking about cooperating with the investigation into his criminal activities. We're not talking about white supremacists, we're talking about people who have committed criminal acts.'' Points to evade authorities at all costs. This sentence clearly reflects that,” Geis said.
Geiss was skeptical of Lund's reform theory. “We've seen time and time again that they go right back into action after being ejected. It's hard for me to see a future where Rand doesn't do that.”
