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Olympic gold medalist Klete Keller sentenced to 6 months of home detention for role in Capitol riot

Jack Baer
Staff writer
·3 min read
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Olympic gold medalist swimmer Klete Keller leaves the U.S. Federal Courthouse, after a sentencing hearing on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, in Washington. Keller has been sentenced to six months of home detention for joining the mob’s Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon also sentenced him to three years of probation and ordered him to perform 360 hours of community service. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Klete Keller avoided prison time after pleading guilty on a charge related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Former U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Klete Keller was sentenced to six months of home detention and 36 months of probation on Friday for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, according to ABC News.

Keller will reportedly also have to do 10 hours of community service every month and pay $2,000 to the Architect of the Capitol, plus $100 in court fees. The judge who presided over his trial told Keller he wanted his rehabilitation to become an example for others, per ABC.

Judge Richard Leon told the Olympian that he wanted him to speak to young adults and students about his mistakes and "How he learned from his mistakes" and Leon would later tell Keller 'I expect you to succeed.'

Keller responded, "Thank you your honor, I will not let you down."

Keller's involvement was first noticed in the days after the Capitol riot, when several people in the swimming community noticed him in videos of the rioters fighting police in the Rotunda. Keller's 6-foot-6 stature and Team USA jacket made him particularly easy to identify. You can see him at roughly the 11-second mark in the video below.

This image from police body-worn video, contained government's sentencing memorandum and annotated by the source, shows Klete Keller in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. Keller was sentenced on Dec. 1, 2023, to six months of home detention for joining the mob's attack on the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon sentenced him to three years of probation and ordered him to perform 360 hours of community service.(Justice Department via AP)
Klete Keller stood out in the crowd during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. (Justice Department via AP)

It wasn't long before Keller was charged, arrested and eventually indicted on seven federal counts, which included knowingly and unlawfully entering and remaining in a restricted area, interfering with official government business, engaging in disorderly conduct to disrupt a session of Congress and interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder.

Keller, who now works as a commercial real estate agent, initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, before agreeing to plead guilty to one count of obstructing an official proceeding, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. At the time, Keller was warned he could expect to see 21 to 27 months in prison, with his sentencing up to the discretion of the court.

Keller reportedly admitted to blocking police in the Capitol and yelling "F*** Nancy Pelosi and f*** Chuck Schumer," as well as destroying his phone and throwing away his Team USA jacket in the aftermath of the riot.

He has since apologized and expressed remorse for his actions in a letter to the judge, via ABC News:

"I stand before you feeling ashamed and profoundly embarrassed," Keller wrote in the letter. "On January 6, 2021, I unlawfully entered the United States Capitol Building and demonstrated without permission. I am ashamed to admit that I wanted to interrupt and influence Congress's certification of the Electoral College vote."

"As a former member of the United States Olympic Swimming Team, my behavior set a terrible example for young people who looked up to me," he continued. "I take full responsibility for my inexcusable actions. I will accept my punishment with humility and serve my sentence in peace."

Prosecutors reportedly requested Keller receive a relatively light 10-month sentence due to his cooperation with authorities, and the judge apparently decided to go a step further. Many other rioters have received sentences of several years in federal prison.

Keller's involvement in the riot came more than a decade after his last Olympic appearance. He won both of his gold medals in the 4x200-meter relay at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He also won silver in the same relay in Sydney in 2000 and bronze in the 400-meter freestyle in 2000 and 2004.