Olympic Champion Klete Keller Convicted for Role in Capitol Riot

Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Klete Keller was sentenced on Friday to three years of probation, six months house arrest and 360 hours of community service for his role in the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021. The 6-foot-6 freestyler was easily identified towering over police and fellow MAGA extremists before throwing his Team USA jacket into a Capitol Hill trash can. He pleaded guilty to a felony count in 2021, made no excuses for his admittedly “criminal” conduct and quickly agreed to cooperate with authorities. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon reasoned Keller would be more productive warning teenagers not to follow his lead than he would be serving the 10-month prison sentence sought by prosecutors. Prosecutors contended that after ditching his distinct jacket, the Olympian smashed his cellphone with a hammer, well aware that he was “fleeing a crime scene.” According to Keller’s lawyer, the defendant threw his jacket away out of shame after encountering a young boy on a train, who asked about his Olympic triumphs and requested a photo. Keller felt that “he let this young man down by behaving the way that he did, and the moment that this young man and father find out what he did, their admiration for him would be shattered,” his attorney wrote in a court filing. Keller — who won medals in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games — fell on hard times, lived out of his car and worked three jobs to pay child support after separating from his wife in 2014. He found himself out of work again and even lost regular visitation with his kids, his lawyer said. Last year, he signed paperwork for his children to be legally adopted by their stepdad. “I hope my case serves as a warning to anyone who rationalizes illegal conduct, especially in a moment of political fervor,” Keller wrote in a letter to the court. “The consequences of my behavior will follow me and my family for the rest of our lives.”