Accused LA Palisades arsonist Jonathan Rinderknecht hires hotshot sports lawyer

Jonathan Rinderknecht, the accused arsonist charged with starting the devastating Los Angeles Palisades Fire, has hired a hotshot sports lawyer whose clients have included NBA players Magic Johnson and Malik Beasley.

Steven Haney Sr. announced Thursday — less than 24 hours after Rinderknecht was hit with new charges in the case — that he’s replacing the accused firebug’s former public defense lawyer and is “flying to meet” his new client later in the day.

Haney, a former longtime prosecutor turned private attorney, claimed in a statement that Rinderknecht has been made a “scapegoat” by government agencies looking to shift blame for their negligence in handling the destructive blaze that cost $150 billion in damage and left 12 people dead.

“We are in receipt of the indictment and look forward to vigorously defending Mr. Rinderknecht against these charges,” Haney said in a statement.

“There were blatant failures by Governmental agencies that were intervening causes between the Lachman and the Palisades Fires. To scapegoat Jonathan Rinderknecht and attempt to hold him criminally liable for the failure of others is preposterous.”

On Wednesday, prosecutors in Los Angeles announced they secured a grand jury indictment against Rinderkneckt on charges of arson affecting property use in interstate commerce, destruction of property by means of fire and setting timber on fire.

Haney, citing attorney-client confidentiality, declined to say how much he was billing Rinderknecht for the work or whether he was representing him for free.

Haney has made a name for himself repping prominent clients in the sports industry.

He notably defended sports manager Christian Dawkins in a sweeping NCAA bribery scandal. Dawkins was sentenced to 1 1/2 years behind bars.

The lawyer also represented hoopster Johnson for years with business and licensing deals and was general counsel for the NBA hall of famer’s pro basketball team Magic M7.

Haney helped NBA Piston’s player Malik Beasley skirt criminal charges in a gambling probe this summer.

His newest client, Rinderknecht, was arrested at his Florida home on Oct. 8 on a single count of destruction of property by means of fire.

Prosecutors allege that when Rinderknecht was previously living in California he hiked the Palisades hills while listening to a rap song about starting a fire on New Year’s Day and started the blaze.

Rinderknecht fled and reported the fire to 911 before following firefighters back to the scene where they tried to beat back the inferno, prosecutors say.

That original fire was not fully extinguished and developed into the Palisades Fire days later when strong winds blew through the area.

Haney said he’s met with Rinderknecht a few times on video calls prior to Thursday’s upcoming in-person meeting in Florida.

“He‘s a tremendous young man. I have had nothing but positive interactions with him,” Haney told The Post. “I think a lot of how he’s being portrayed is unfair. I believe eventually things will come out.”

“Obviously, the Palisades Fire is a very tragic event and I think nobody wants to forget that,” the lawyer said. “However, blaming him for what happened in the Palisades, I think is on its face, preposterous.”

California officials have come under fire for a series of factors that may have hindered their ability to fight the blaze, including the Los Angeles Fire Department’s $17 million budget cut that left the department short-handed and it’s employees overworked.

And there was a disorganized response to the fire, including poor communication in the first hours of the inferno that forced some teams to work without directions from the top.

The public evacuation process was also chaotic, causing traffic jams on routes that the fire department needed to access.

Rinderknecht, who is currently in jail without bail, faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

He is awaiting extradition from Florida to California where he will be arraigned on the charges in the coming weeks, officials said.