An Olympic gold medal champion was sentenced on Friday for participating in the events of January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol.
Swimmer Klete Keller, who pleaded guilty in September 2021 to a felony count of obstruction of an official proceeding, faced up to 21 months in prison, according to USA Today. After vowing in the plea agreement that he would cooperate with authorities, six additional charges against him were dismissed, including civil disorder and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds.
Two years later, Keller escaped jail time and was sentenced to 36 months of probation and six months of home detention, Fox News Digital reports.
According to the outlet, “Keller acknowledged in court records he tried to obstruct Congress’s certification of President Biden’s Electoral College victory, brushed away officers who tried to remove him from the Capitol Rotunda and yelled profane comments about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as he stood near officers wearing riot gear.”
He admitted to ditching the distinctive U.S. Olympic team jacket he donned for the Jan. 6 event and destroying his phone and memory card, which contained photos and videos he had shot inside the Capitol.
His 6-foot, 6-inch frame, along with screengrabs from a viral video, that stand-out jacket, and his driver’s license were used by investigators to identify him.
A week after returning to his Colorado home, the swimmer surrendered to authorities.
“I have no excuse for why I am in front of you today,” he said in court, according to Fox News Digital. “I understand my actions were criminal and that I am fully responsible for my conduct.”
Speaking to reporters as they left the courtroom, Keller’s attorney, Zachary Deubler, said his client wouldn’t be commenting but did confirm that “he’s very happy,” USA Today reports.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon called the case “one of the most unique” and “maybe the most unique” criminal cases to come out of January 6.
Keller, he believed, would better serve society using his platform to discuss his mistakes and show his remorse.
“I expect you to succeed,” Leon told the former freestyle specialist, who, along with Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, swam to gold in 2004 on the 4x200m freestyle relay team.
To which Keller, now 41, replied, “I will not let you down.”
While prosecutors gave Keller credit for “genuine remorse” about entering the Capitol, they stated in a sentencing memorandum that he still deserved jail time.
“A former Olympian with an opportunity to see up close America’s ideals and represent its position in the world, Keller was in a unique position to know better,” they wrote.
Keller, wearing sunglasses and a bandana around his face, breached the Capitol through a door on the west terrace at 2:39 p.m., prosecutors said. He initiated chants of “[Expletive] Nancy Pelosi!” and “[Expletive] Chuck Schumer!” they stated according to USA Today.
He even dared to join “rioters” in singing the national anthem.
But not everyone online believes Keller got off easy.
News of Keller’s sentencing is “so depressing,” wrote one X user. “This patriot, Gold medalist and high caliber man is being humiliated and slandered by the coven of political warlocks and witches ruling this country. Sickening.”
That is so depressing… this patriot, Gold medalist and high caliber man is being humiliated and slandered by the coven of political warlocks and witches ruling this country. Sickening
— loveinjune (@BrookeC94151964) December 2, 2023
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Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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