HUNTINGTON BEACH : Judge OKs Plea by Reputed Skinhead

A reputed skinhead charged with a felony weapons violation was permitted Monday to enter a court-sanctioned diversion program that could lead to the dismissal of the charge in 18 months.

U.S. District Judge Linda McLaughlin approved a plea agreement between prosecutors and Geremy C. Von Rineman, 22, of Corona, which allows his entry into a supervised, 18-month program operated by the U.S. attorney’s office in Santa Ana as an alternative to prison.

Von Rineman and his former girlfriend, Jill Scarborough of Anaheim, were charged with possession of a 12-gauge, sawed-off shotgun. Two undercover FBI informants befriended the couple and paid Von Rineman $400 for the shotgun, according to a federal complaint.

A former resident of Huntington Beach who attended Marina High School, Von Rineman was shot and paralyzed in 1989 in a race-related incident in Van Nuys. Federal authorities say Von Rineman was a member of the Florida-based Church of the Creator, a white supremacy group, and later was befriended by Tom Metzger, founder of the White Aryan Resistance movement, or WAR.

Scarborough pleaded guilty last week to the possession charge and will be sentenced Jan. 3. She has been denied bail until her sentencing. As part of her plea agreement, prosecutors have recommended that she be given one year’s probation instead of jail time.

The terms of Von Rineman’s acceptance into the diversion program are being kept confidential. Normally, those accepted must maintain a job or attend school, meet with a program supervisor, undergo counseling and report any contact with other law enforcement authorities.

Von Rineman and Scarborough were two of nine persons arrested by federal agents as part of a crackdown on suspected skinheads and arms suppliers throughout Southern California.